


Race Along the Edge

by WeAreDustAnyway



Category: Fast & Furious (Movies), Fast and the Furious RPF
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Attempted Sexual Assault, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Jesse (Fast and the Furious) Lives, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Period-Typical Racism, Vince (Fast and the Furious) Being an Asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeAreDustAnyway/pseuds/WeAreDustAnyway
Summary: Lenora dreaded asking strangers for rides. But when she was left stranded in the desert, it wasn't like she had a choice. By accepting Toretto's invitation, she plants herself in the middle of a gang war. In the midst of everything, she tries to balance life, drama, and gunshots all in one go. Who knew not having enough coins for the bus could wreak havoc onto her life.*Where Dom drags another person into the Toretto drama...Because like Mia said, he is the gravity that pulls people to him.
Relationships: Brian O'Conner/Mia Toretto, Johnny Tran/Original Female Character(s), Leon/Vince (Fast and the Furious), Letty Ortiz/Dominic Toretto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	1. When You Forget Cash

_"Fuck!"_

The woman in the middle of the road screeched into nothingness as the bus before her drove off into the sunny distance towards Los Angeles. The stupid sign with the words 'four and a half miles to L.A' loomed over her as if to mock her petite frame.

Of course she had to forget her coins. Of everything she had made a list of to pack up, she didn't include the fare for travel. All she had was cash and a stupid debit card that wasn't even used on a public bus. And because of that, the bus driver had very politely told her to get the fuck off and hitchhike instead.

Here she was, with two large suitcases filled to the brim with useless clothes, and a backpack with all her books, she was stranded in the desert of California. Tears of frustration pricked at the corner of her eyes as she desperately tried to self-sooth.

 _So much for going out with a bang_ , she thought. If it weren't for the lack of signal out there, she would've sent her new roommate a text asking for a ride. But lo and behold, there was no signal for her, too. Snapping her phone shut, she gazed across the horizon.

Lenora dreaded asking random strangers for rides. What if she got kidnapped and they stole her kidneys?! There were other worst case scenarios that she didn't even want to think about, but with her state of affairs, it wasn't like she had any other choice. She briefly contemplated ditching her clothes and walking the next few hours to the nearest town, but then she realized that all her jewellery her mother had passed down was also buried under the heep of garments.

Karma or not, she was adamant that this happened because she decided to raid her cousin's snack bar the other week. The little brat probably prayed to Satan the next day and this was the result. Lenora relented and grabbed both suitcases before trudging forward down the street. Under the scorching sun, she swore the road looked longer than it actually was.

She cursed herself for wearing a tank top instead of a shirt, because now her body was going to be burnt to a crisp. It was guaranteed to be a whole day's worth of walking if she didn't find a ride soon. Lenora made up her mind that as soon as she settled down in her new home, driving lessons were the next step in her life. As long as she breathed, this would not happen again. Her mother's savings account had more than enough to support her for a while, so she was going to put that into good use.

Lenora wondered why she decided to pick LA as a place to finish her education. On second thought, she really could've just transferred to somewhere cooler. She frowned; scratch that, she would even take up the offer to go to Mars if that was possible.

The idea of a city life sounded fun on paper, and she figured maybe this was the place where she could freely be what she wanted to become. But as of now, this all looked like a massive pile of sandstorms. Lenora was beginning to see a pattern in her choices, all of them were as shitty as shit can be.

Wallowing in self pity, she continued down her journey, oblivious to the approaching vehicle behind her. The car was just a few feet away from her when the driver honked at her. With a loud yelp, she was that close to leaping up like a frog.

"Wha-?!" Her words didn't formulate properly when she whipped around to face the perpetrator.

A large, bald man sat in the driver's seat, with a young, pretty Hispanic woman by his side. To be frank, the guy looked pretty intimidating. All sorts of images flashed within her mind as she faced the couple head on in the middle of nowhere. So this is where she meets the infamous serial killing couple and gets dismembered into pieces while the local police wouldn't even be able to figure out what had happened-

"Are you ok, ma'am?" the man asked from the car. He had rolled down the window unbeknownst to her. "You're gonna pass out in this condition."

Lenora breathed out slowly. She was watching way too much NCIS.

"I ran out of coins," she admitted. "So I was dropped off." Eyeing them, she noted that the lady was staring at her with rather intense curiosity.

The man raised a brow. "You need a ride? Or is someone picking you up?"

She thought about lying to get them off her back. Lenora wasn't the one to judge, but with her frazzled mind, she couldn't come to the conclusion on whether or not they were trustworthy.

With all her prized possessions around her, she could easily be robbed and be left with nothing. She licked her drying lips, trying to come up with a response when the stinging sensation of torn skin met her tongue. It dawned on her that she had barely enough water to last for the day. Lenora wanted to throw a temper tantrum right then and there. Thankfully, it only took her a few seconds to cool back down.

"I can pay you," she offered meekly. "I have cash."

"Don't worry 'bout it," he replied. "Just hop on in."

Seeing her hesitate, the woman flashed her a grin. "It's no problem, chica. We don't bite."

Not that promises alone would be enough to guarantee her safety, but Lenora was truly going to have a heat stroke if she stayed any longer. The woman introduced herself as Letty, while her boyfriend, Dom, helped her haul her luggages onto the truck.

"Lenora," she responded. Her introduction sounded far worse than what she'd intended, most likely due to the dehydration catching up to her body. The couple was kind enough to hand her a chilled bottle of water from a mini fridge, which she accepted graciously. She downed the whole thing in one go.

_I'm never taking this for granted ever again._

The ride was going to be an interesting one, with Dom asking about her every now and then. Lenora tried to be as polite as possible, not wanting to piss off the guy. She wasn't sure if he had the resting-bitch-face syndrome or what, because he looked angry, even when the air of the questions were not at all harmful.

"So you go to school?" The question caught her off guard.

Lenora nodded. "Yeah, I'm a sophomore in college."

Her answer seemed to peak an interest in him and his girl, because their faces lightened up.

"I figured. You look around the age of my sister," he explained.

She nodded, not knowing what else to say. It could've been the heat, or the lack of a comfortable environment, because all her brain wanted to do was shut down and not have anything to do with the world. After what seemed like an eternity, she forced out a response.

"Does she go to college in the states?"

"Yeah," Letty piped up, "the local community college. She studies math."

There was an air of nonchalance with her as she gestured her hands wildly, as if painting a picture of the equations. Lenora mouthed a quiet 'oh' before turning her attention back onto the road. It was going to be a two-hour ride to the nearest town to Echo Park, and she wondered if there was going to be an atm somewhere.

"So what do _you_ study?" Letty asked. "Are you the Asian kid who loves math, too?"

Lenora snorted at the remark, not able to hide her amusement. "I wish. Math is a strong suit of mine, but I'm more interested in architecture."

The woman quirked her lips. "Well that's a new one I've seen."

"Yeah, I thought it'd be nice to add some diversity," Lenora offered.

Letty sniggered at the response and slapped Dom on the shoulder with good-nature. "Ye hear that? The kid's going places!"

The man grunted a laugh and shook his head. It was a relief to find the tension easing up in the car, and Lenora was more than grateful. Later on, it came across as a surprise when she found out that they were headed to the same city. Turns out that Dom and Letty lived there their whole lives, and were just returning from picking up some stuff for their store.

"So you guys just cram into one house?!" Lenora was stunned. She hated her life squeezed up with her grandparents and her cousins, so she couldn't even imagine having friends, siblings, and their respective partners all in one room. To her, that was enough to cause a migraine.

Dom nodded. "We're a lively bunch. It gets murky from time to time, but we get by."

"Ah," she noted. Thank goodness the guy only had a younger sibling to look after, compared to her sister and the horde of female cousins she had back in northern California. At least rooming with friends sounded a lot better.

Letty threw her a quizzical look. "You new here?"

Lenora wasn't sure how much she wanted to give out to two strangers in the desert, but given the things they've done for her so far, they were starting to seem more and more amiable. She chucked it to watching too many crime shows recently.

"I just transferred to Pepperdine," Lenora explained. "I'm finishing my last two years here, before I get outta California."

The older woman smirked. "You sound like you hate this place."

"I don't. But I wanna tour the world before I get too lazy with age." That was a lie. Lenora gritted her teeth as she engineered a decent answer. If it were possible, she would never step foot in this state ever again. After her graduation and subsequent job offer, she was going to take her sister and disappear from everyone in her 'family' for good.

Sounds like a plan," Letty mused. "It'll be fun. Y'know we used to do a lot of road trips ourselves back in the day."

"Oh yeah?" The younger woman raised a brow.

"You should've seen Dom here," Letty continued, "crashed his motorbike right into the public trash can on his first rodeo. Apparently, overnight runs weren't his thing."

" _Letty_!" Dom glared at her. But that only sent her bawling with boisterous laughter even harder. Lenora fought back a smile as she watched the couple now beginning to banter back and forth about the incident.

"We don't talk about that!" Dom warned. As if that helped the situation.

"C'mon!" Letty protested. "It popped into my head just now! I wanted to entertain our new friend here!"

Lenora sighed. "I promise I'll keep my lips sealed." That remark only served to fuel Letty on.

"Don't ya worry," she joked, "Dom here is quite the squishy despite his hard shell." The man huffed at that and rolled his eyes. Lenora watched with amusement as they started arguing in Spanish. Their house was definitely the epitome of Mad Hatter's tea party.

In a blink of an eye, the signs pointing to Echo Park emerged from the distance. Time had passed much quicker than she'd expected, and Lenora felt an odd excitement peaking within her. The thrill of exploring her new home was starting to feel delirious. Maybe a shopping trip should be on the list…Her musings were cut short when she heard Dom say something.

"What's your address?" He asked. Lenora's eyes widened with shock as she registered the fact she had arrived at the town of her destination.

"It's alright!" she began. "You guys can just drop me here.

Letty frowned at her. "You sure? How you gonna get to your new place?"

"I'll find an ATM and get my bus fare," Lenora replied.

"That's gonna take a while," Dom cut in, "that and dehydration will get to you. You'll be sick the next day."

Lenora mulled over the advice for a good minute. He was right for the most part, probably because he had experience taking care of his sister. And it didn't seem like she really bothered them with her problem, so it shouldn't hurt to just have them drop her off if they lived in the same city.

In the end, she gave them her address, and Letty's face said it all. "Well, well, well. Looks like we're gonna get a new neighbor on the block!"

Lenora choked on her spit. "What?!"

The Latina grinned. "We live not too far away from you actually! Looks like you're in luck today."

Whatever deity that was in charge of luck was trying to take her out on an emotional rollercoaster that day. Lenora couldn't believe her ears; she was not much for superstitions, but it was like everything was falling into place for her in the most unconventional ways. She couldn't make up her mind on whether or not she appreciated that. Letty, on the other hand, seemed way too excited at the prospect of having a new addition to the town.

The vehicle slowly began to approach a suburban neighborhood, with victorian-styled houses spaced evenly between one another. The green pastures looked inviting, and she couldn't help but notice the amount of shiny cars parked alongside the streets. It was like going to a museum.

Lenora reread her address, and her eyes fell on a nice little house sandwiched between the many other complexes around it. At least it looked like the picture on the craigslist ad, else she wouldn't know what to do if this turned out to be a scam.The keys unlocked the front door with no problem, and she was greeted by an empty living room. It was apparent she had gotten there first. Lenora breathed out another sigh, it was better this way.

Dom surprised her by helping her haul her stuff back from the truck. She half-expected them to just drop a goodbye and speed off into the distance arguing about petty shit. It was kinda heart-warming to say the least, and this made her solidify the idea in her mind to pay them a good sum.

She took out a wad of cash, almost catching him off guard. But Dom eyed it with no interest.

"Like I said, don't worry 'bout it," he stated.

Lenora felt guilt wallowing up her throat. "I took up a lot of your time, today. This is just me expressing gratitude."

He opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted when the head of Letty popped into the doorway. She was wearing that mischievous grin again.

"If you really feel bad, maybe you can help Mia with her homework over the weekends!"

The job offer came out of nowhere and hit Lenora upside the head. Wait, what? How did it come to this? She glanced at the woman in disbelief.

"You're ok with that?" Lenora asked. "Does she need a tutor?"

To her side, Dom's face darkened considerably and he looked like he was about to shoo Letty away when the latter beat him to the talking punch.

Letty nodded. "Yup. Homegirl struggles a lot in that department sometimes, so I figured you could help her since y'all are in the same field. Besides, you guys could get along and make some friends."

The younger woman glanced back at the man timidly, waiting for his nod of approval. But Dom's face was back to the usual stony guise. Sensing his haphazard reaction, she relaxed. This could be a way for her to branch out and meet new people, that was for sure. But she didn't know if she was going to survive the first day in that house.

_Whatever, if they're happy, I'll make new friends. And if they're not, they'll leave me alone. Win, win._

"Alright," Lenora replied. "I'll see what I can do."

"Bueno!" Letty agreed. "I left our home phone on your porch, give us a call whenever!"

It wasn't long before the couple disappeared from her driveway. Lenora was sure Dom didn't take that offer seriously, but something told her that Letty, however, thought otherwise. She ran a hand through her bangs, before wrinkling her nose at the grimy feeling. Whatever that she'd planned on doing, she needed a shower first.

:

:

:


	2. Tutor the Local Bombshell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of pressure when tutoring a Toretto, even without Dom in the picture.

The sun was beginning its descent down the mountains by the time Lenora finished with everything around the house She was internally thankful for not packing her whole life with her. After settling her computer and everything else in her room, she made a quick call to her sister.

" 'Sup Nora!" Ellion chirped from the other side of the phone. "I'm assuming you survived the pilgrimage."

Lenora snorted. " _Duh_ , genius. Who else are you talking to right now?"

"I dunno, maybe your angry ghost that now haunts the streets of LA?" Ellion replied innocently.

The older sibling scoffed. "So funny."

"How'd it go?" Ellion pressed. "Met any cute guys?!"

Ellion was relentless on the topic of dating; something along the lines of being the cool rich aunt to the kids one day. Lenora resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "No. I had to hitchhike."

"WTF?! What happened?!"

"I forgot to pack more change for the bus," she grumbled. "It was a shitshow." She heard what sounded like muffled laughter on the other end, and she felt her cheeks heat up. "Stop laughing!"

Ellion chortled. "That's so you, though! Not gonna lie. I'm glad you're safe, but that's so-"

"Stupid," Lenora finished for her, "yeah, you don't have to remind me."

Her sister sighed. " _Ok, ok_! Just tell me the deets if ya have any." A loud bang sounded from Ellion's side, making Lenora's ears twitch with anticipation.

"...You okay over there?" Concern laced Lenora's voice. "Is Gran on your back or...?

She could make out the rustling of bedsheets on the phone, coupled with a pregnant pause from Ellion. The joking atmosphere vanished as Lenora tried to figure out what Ellion was up to.

"I'm gucci," she finally said. "Don't worry about me. I'll drop by when break comes around. Ring me up once you have tea!" The end of her sentence was pitched rather high, and it made Lenora uncomfortable.

"If you say so. Just lay low for a bit," she spoke. "I'll talk to you later."

"M'kay, bye!" Ellion hung up the phone first, leaving Lenora standing there with a dead line. She didn't bother telling her about the couple who hired her for tutoring sessions, it wasn't that big of a news to her anyway. Thankfully, air conditioner in the house worked just fine, much to her relief. Her roommate had given her a call earlier saying that she wouldn't be moving in for another week or so, therefore meaning the entire place was hers for the time being. Lenora wasn't going to complain about that.

Gazing at the number Letty had left for her, she thought about what to say. It was strange that she would be nervous over something so trivial, she wasn't a meek person per say, but she never felt this amount of pressure just by talking to someone.

_Ah, fuck it! You're acting like a five-year-old!_

Her fingers gripped the phone in her hands and she punched in the numbers. The connection took a second, before taking her to the main line. She listened to the beeping for about four rounds before the click of the device notified her of someone taking the call.

"Hello?" It was the familiar female voice she had grown accustomed to the day before. Lenora held in a breath before relaxing her muscles.

"Hey, it's Lenora from yesterday," she began, "I'm calling for the tutoring session you wanted."

There was a pause on Letty's end, and Lenora feared that she might've already forgotten about the whole ordeal, thus making the call pointless. Of course they would've paid no attention to her after that, they had their own chaotic house to deal. The silence stretched long enough for her to become fidgety, a sudden sound came from the other end, and she could hear Letty hiss something in Spanish.

"Yes, it's her, Dom! Calm the fuck down!" Letty was not in a good mood.

Sensing the need to escape the situation, Lenora cleared her throat. "It's alright if you changed your mind! I'll get going if I'm interrupting something."

"No, no!" Letty exclaimed. "Dom's just antsy if strangers call us. He didn't know it was you."

Lenora mumbled a robotic 'oh' at that and dwindled her fingers. She didn't know how awkward it was going to get. It wasn't long before Leety was back on the phone once again. "So Mia is free on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. You can pick a time from 3 to 6."

"Cool, I can do 4 to 6 both days," Lenora replied. The rest of the details were hashed out with intermittent breaks where Letty would shout something back to whoever that was bugging her. There was more than one man in the house, as Lenora was sure there were multiple male voices talking at one time.

She braced herself for the chaos she was about to witness. Letty had asked if she needed a ride to the house, but Lenora assured her that the distance was walkable. Besides, she needed those thirty minute exercises. And with that, the deal was made. Lenora got off the phone feeling strangely pumped, she had only interacted with high schoolers and below before, so it was going to be a challenge tutoring someone her own age.

If she wanted to back out, it was too late. Her ego was not going to let her quit that easily.

* * *

The person who opened the door wasn't Letty or Dom, in their stead was a scrawny looking guy barely above her age with his dirty blonde hair springing in all directions. He seemed to have just gotten out of bed, despite it being way too late in the day.

"Hi, I'm Lenora," she introduced herself. The guy just stared at her with his half-lidded eyes, and it prompted her to question herself if she knocked on the right door.

"Oh, you're the new chick on the block," he drawled. She looked at him with a guarded manner, not sure if he was the person she should talk to. The guy's eyes widened a fraction as he took her full form in, his adam's apple bobbing noticeably. It was getting really fucking unsettling.

"Oi, Jesse!" Letty's voice rang from behind. "Stop checking her out and let her in!"

Lenora was grateful for the intervention, for she was sure she was just seconds away from dropping the job. Letty grabbed Jesse by the arms and dragged him away. With the teen gone, she greeted her with a cheery smile and showed her in. Beer bottles and empty chip bags littered all over the kitchen table, a nintendo set was on full display in the middle of the TV stand, with two larger males fighting over the game.

The place reminded her of the parties she used to go to with her old highschool friends, minus the people. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was better than looking as if a shitstorm had rained through it. Her appearance had put an abrupt stop to the bickering duo in front of them. The clean-shaven man noticed her first, his trailing eyes caused the one with a full beard to turn his face to her. One looked confused while the other sulked like a child.

"I guess she's cute," the former spoke up. Letty threw him a glare.

"Shut it, Vince."

Vince shrugged and grinned sheepishly while the taller man punched him in the arms.

"You like women that look twelve?!"

"Suck a dick, Leon! As if you know better!" Vince countered. Lenora watched the scene unfold with wide eyes as the two started hurling insults, her presence forgotten. They were two grown men, for christ's sake, and they had the emotional maturity of a kindergartner.

Letty breathed out an exasperated sigh . "Just ignore them. They'll calm down by themselves."

" _Wow_ ," Lenora muttered. "You have a lively household."

Letty grumbled. "Dom wasn't lying when he said we were loud."

Lenora was going to ask how they dealt with this everyday, but went against it. Every family had their issues, and it wasn't her place to comment. Her job was to get out of the house alive every time she came here. She followed Letty up the padded stairs, the argument between Vince and Leon quieted as they increased their distance between them.

At the door, Letty didn't even have to knock before someone from the inside opened it. Lenora forgot her train of thoughts at the sight.

To say that Mia was beautiful was an understatement, because it was like a Vogue model had decided to step off the covers into real life. Lenora wouldn't be able to tell her that she was the epitome of her highschool beauty goal. She suddenly felt very small between the two women; she had the feeling she was some sort of kid crashing an adult sleepover.

"Hi!" Mia gave a shy wave. "I hope Vince didn't creep you out down there, he does that a lot to people."

Lenora's face probably gave away everything she was feeling, because the former shot her a pitying look. Glancing behind her, she found that Letty had already disappeared into thin air. Great, now she's stuck in an awkward position with a stranger.

"It's nice to meet you," she offered. "I'm Lenora, but you can call me Nora if you want."

Mia smiled. "I heard you also studied math."

Lenora forced a smile in return. Just because she was Asian, didn't mean she studied mathematics. It appeared Letty had forgotten all about that.

"I'm actually majoring in architecture," she corrected. "But I can help you with calculus or multivariable if that's what you're stuck on."

Mia's face lightened up like a lightbulb, her olive skin flushed with delight. "Yes! Thanks so much! You're a life-saver, else Dom's never gonna let me hear the end of it."

Lenora laughed. Setting her things down on the desk, she rummaged through her notes.

"Dom's taking his role as a parent rather seriously," she remarked. Mia scoffed from her seat, feigning an annoyed look.

"It's an older brother thing," she said, "sometimes it gets overbearing."

Where were their parents then? Why was Dom himself stressed over her education and not the mom or dad? Lenora sighed. Again, those weren't things she had the right to know.

"I wouldn't know 'bout that. I'm the oldest one in my world," she replied.

Mia wiggled her brows. "Brother or sister?"

"Sister," Lenora answered, "but instead of overbearing, she's kinda _really_ annoying." She added the extra adverb for sarcasm. Mia giggled, her voice like bells.

"Looks like we can't relate."

Lenora snorted. "Not on that subject, but I do know we both hate math, so let's crack some problems."

It was easier to talk to Mia as time went on. Lenora went into the experience expecting to be scoffed at or made fun of, but the former was just a warm ball of sunshine, literally. She diverted a lot from the main subject, but that was to be expected. It took a special person to excel at mathematics, much less love it. And Lenora had always wondered how her mother had garnered a Phd in that area of study.

At the recollection of her mother, her mind went into full stop. She snapped herself from her trance and focused back on Mia. Now wasn't the time to get sentimental; it'd be a sore sight if she started crying in the middle of someone's house. She chided herself for her lapse in judgement.

"I think I'm getting this, Nora," Mia stated. "Your worksheet saved me."

Lenora let out a hum. "No problem. You're getting there, once you get over the learning curve, things should slow down."

"Like that's ever happened in school," Mia joked. It was obvious she didn't buy the sugar-coated truth.

"You're right. I lied," Lenora teased. "This ain't fun if you don't love it."

"At least you say it better than Dom. The guy looks pissed 24/7."

"I mean...I guess he means well," Lenora stated. Although to be fair, Dom did have the severe version of the resting-bitch-face syndrome. She didn't bother telling her that when she first met him, she thought he wanted to skin her alive.

The rest of the session continued with a side conversation here and there, but it was mostly centered on Mia's upcoming midterm. Lenora raised her notepad, and was beginning to go through everything they had worked on when a knock came at the door.

"Come in!" Mia called, not looking up in the slightest. The door opened just a fraction, and a head of sandy blonde hair poked in. When a stretch of silence came after that, Lenora raised her head to look at the incomer. Her brain registered him as Jesse, and she moved her head just slightly when her mind did a double-take. She noticed this man had a much stronger jawline with piercing blue eyes, and he was very handsome. If it weren't for the need to be professional, Lenora would've passed out with a bloody nose.

"Hey Mia," he said. His gravelly voice shook her companion back to reality and Mia's previous frown from her work turned a one-eighty. She practically beamed from ear to ear.

"Brian!"

Lenora regarded the whole scene with an awkward pit in her stomach as Mia launched herself off the bed to his side. From their interactions, it seemed like they were dating, or at least semi-romantically involved (if that was a thing). She felt like a good third-wheeler for a hot minute while they bantered about racing and whatnot. Mia noticed her gaping form and quickly turned around, cheeks flushing from embarrassment.

"Brian, this is Nora. Nora, Brian!" she blabbered breathlessly. "Dom helped her move in the other day and now she's my study buddy."

Brian eyed the sitting woman on the bed with amusement. "Hey."

Blinking back to reality, Lenora scratched the back of her neck. "Hi, nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," he said smoothly. "Getting used to LA?"

"Only if the place has a giant air conditioner," she replied. Brian gave a slight smile.

"You'll get used to it. At least the people here are a lively bunch."

Lenora stared at him hard. It was the third time people were described like that here. This was starting to become some sort of trend. He wasn't lying, though. With Vince and Leon fighting like monkeys downstairs, she was inclined to believe that phrase now.

"Yeah, it's quite the difference compared to northern Cali."

The alarm on Mia's bedside went off without warning, breaking into the conversation rudely. Lenora flinched at the sudden attack. It served as a reminder that the time was now well over six, and she should be heading back before the night got too dark. "I think I should get going before someone mugs me on my way home."

Checking the clock by Mia's stand, she started to pack her things.

"Do you have any plans tonight?" Mia piped out of nowhere. Lenora gave a cursory glance at her schedule and found only making dinner and filing personal documents scribbled messily onto the notes. For some reason, it sounded so lame inside her head.

"Nothing much really," she admitted. "I just got settled so I'm gonna be twiddling my thumbs for a bit."

Her response appeared to satisfy the younger Toretto, because Mia clapped her hands together with enthusiasm.

"Well, if you want, there's a local racing competition by the downtown market tonight. I dunno if that's your thing, but you're welcome to come!"

Lenora, once again, was stunned by an unexpected proposal. What was with this family and inviting random people into their lives? The feeling of inclusiveness was strong with them, and she couldn't help but think that these people were some of the most tightly wounded communities out there.

She thought about rejecting the offer and then going back home to sleep. But the thought of returning back to nothing and just binging TV for the rest of the day didn't sound productive either. She could potentially meet other people and maybe feel more comfortable in this city. If she was going to live here for the next two years, she might as well get used to the culture.

"Sounds gucci!" Lenora said. A realization hit her hard in the head. "But I don't have a ride."

Mia canted her head. "You don't have a car?"

"No," Lenora replied. "I dunno how to drive…"

She didn't know what was more embarrassing, her not having a license by twenty or asking for another ride from this family. It was like living through highschool all over again. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she averted their gazes.

"Oh," Mia mused. "You can just ride with me then!"

Brian, who was left hanging by the doorway, peered down at Mia. "I thought you didn't go to races?"

That elicited a small giggle from the brunette. "Hey, just because I don't go to races doesn't mean I don't like 'em."

Hitting him lightly on the shoulders, she then guided him outside. "Dom's waiting for you, I'll catch up in just a second."

Brian smirked, running a hand through her hair before turning around to go downstairs. Ruffling her skirt, Mia shifted her attention to the sitting Lenora on the bed, who was doing her best not to look like she just saw a secret couple making out at school.

"That's one of Dom's friends," she explained. "Funny enough, he also picked him up during a race."

Lenora threw her a perturbed glance. "Your brother goes around adopting everyone, I see."

Mia laughed. "You could say that. He might be a lil' porcupine, but he has a soft spot for people he thinks that deserve it."

Well thank god he didn't deem me a danger to rip me to shreds, Lenora thought. Zipping up her backpack, she straightened out her legs, hearing the satisfying pop of her joints. Her back was a bit sore from hunching forward, but she figured she could do some stretching before heading out.

"I can drop you off so you can get ready," Mia continued, "I'll give you a call once I'm out?"

"Sure."

Mia went through her drawer, and started pulling out all kinds of tops and shorts. Lenora giggled at the sight.

"So is he your boyfriend?"

Mia blushed. "Who?"

Lenora scoffed at the lame attempt to deflect. "C'mon, it's not like I've never had crushes before."

"I'm not with Brian," Mia said, but her lips curled into a shy grin, "I don't date my brother's friends."

The Asian woman looked at her, her face slapped with doubt all over. "That's how my sister acts when she's crushing hard."

Mia feigned annoyance and sighed. "Fine, I like him. But who doesn't?! I'm terrible at acting."

"Not gonna lie, he's got that surfer boy hotness," Lenora teased. "My classmates would be drooling by now."

Her companion turned to her with a devilish smile. "You have a type?"

Lenora snorted. "Tall, dark, handsome, leather jacket, and riding a badass motorbike. Terminator vibes." She motioned her hands to her eyes to paint the picture of sunglasses. Mia bawled at the display.

"That's like every edgelord's type," she joked.

"I'm pretty basic," Lenora said. "Also, do I have to dress to a certain theme tonight?"

Mia was actually perplexed for a good minute. "For real, though, I dunno. I don't really go to races that often. I'm just picking out a cute outfit and crossing my fingers."

Lenora internally groaned. She still had to plow through all her bundled up clothes to figure out what she wanted. Even worse, she might not even have the right outfit. Just thinking about it stressed her out.

"It's been a bit since I've gone out. I hope I don't look like a hobo," she muttered.

Mia stood up like she just remembered something. "Right! I should take you back now."

Lenora pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing up her glasses. She also had to do her makeup, too. It was all beginning to pile up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought maybe I could add more Mia scenes into this story. I always thought as a prominent character, she didn't really have too much light compared to the others. She's an interesting character who I really wish could've developed more. I hope this was an interesting chapter for y'all, and if you have any feedback, feel free to leave 'em as always! ;)


	3. This Was Supposed to be a Party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mia moved to open the door. "Stay in the car, Nora. I'll wrap this up as quickly as I can. Just lay low."She shoved her hands in her jeans as she trudged up to the man.
> 
> On the same level, Lenora noticed just how tall he was close up, and it made her hands shake with uncertainty. A whole bundle of scenarios ran through her; this could end up being a mugging, or a heated argument at best, or people getting shot at worst.
> 
> Mia stalked up to him, eyes hardening into icy daggers. He seemed to share the same sentiment.
> 
> "What do you want, Tran?"

Lenora threw the idea of a smokey eye out the window. After her fourth try, she ended up looking like a bruised panda with red lips. She never understood how Ellion rocked the look so effortlessly during homecoming dances. Shoving the eyeshadow palette back into her makeup bag, she resorted to washing her face again and taking out a tube of mascara.

Her bangs covered most of her eyelids anyways, so a smokey eye seemed to be an overkill. She gazed at the cover magazine of the latest issue and put on a pensive face. Maybe the red lip classic seemed too much for a small party, and she didn't know the fashion trend around here. After mulling over her lipstick collection like an indecisive child trying to choose her dessert, she settled on a simple, nude lip pencil paired with some gloss.

_At least I won't go out looking like a clown._

Her biggest problem wasn't her clothes, as it turned out. It was her stupid hair that refused to curl the right way. Lenora wanted to model herself after Paris Hilton's latest photoshoot from Elle, but like the smokey eye, that ship sunk fast. She wanted the beachy blowout effect, but her hair decided that it'd be a good idea to pull off a haywire mess of half-tight and half-loose swirls that made her look like her hairstylist hated her.

Hissing, she dropped the curling iron and proceeded to brush at her head until the mess looked mildly presentable. She considered spraying it, but then noted that her hair wasn't going to listen to that either. It wasn't what she had gone for, but for now, it was tamed. Damn her Asian hair.

It was five minutes before Mia would pull up when she scrambled to get her white tank top and shorts. A mini skirt was out of the question; she wasn't going to have a wardrobe malfunction in her first week here. She didn't want to admit that she heard the scolding voice of her grandmother when she put it back. Her scowling face with thin lips pulled back into a sneer floated up in her mind. Lenora huffed, and shoved the image back down.

Her fingers trembled as she laced up her favorite boots. She had never seen a car race before, much of her social life back then revolved around beer pong and trips to the movies. A small pang of excitement was evident in her chest.

Mia's Acura NSX blared through the driveway just as Lenora was zipping up her sweater. She honked her blue car, announcing her arrival.

"Shit!" Lenora grabbed her keys and shoved them in her pockets before making sure everything was turned off. She sailed out the door after that, barely locking the door properly.

Mia waved at her from the window, hollering something about looking cute. Lenora grinned as she pulled open the door by the passenger seat. She plopped down, panting as if she'd run a marathon.

Mia grimaced. "Did I rush you?"

Lenora laughed at the image of her frizzled mane just half an hour ago. "Nah, it's my hair. I looked like Simba."

The two women snorted with laughter as they pulled out of the driveway.

"Does Dom know that I'm coming?" Lenora knew it was a stupid question, but her paranoia made it felt like she was intruding something personal.

Mia shrugged. "He doesn't care. The more the merrier for him, honestly. As long as you don't stand in the middle of the tracks." She winked at her.

Lenora gave her a lookover. Mia had done her hair as well, and she was now dressed in a light tube top with distressed jeans, contrasting greatly to her previous look. To outsiders, they appeared like any other college girls out for their night fun.

"Watch this." Mia floored the gas pedal, and she swerved the car as they approached a turn. Lenora felt her stomach somersault at the stunt. The streetlights morphed into a blinding blob as they pivoted around. As soon as it happened, her vision whirled as the vehicle positioned itself back in a straight line and zoomed across the streets.

"Christ!" Lenora screeched. On the side, Mia howled with laughter.

"I always wanted to show Dom that," she said. "Too bad he never wants to sit in the same car as me."

Lenora gawked at her. "What was that?!"

"It's called drifting. Brian taught me," Mia replied proudly.

"I see you're prepared for the race," Lenora remarked. The brunette huffed, eyes rolling.

"I'm not allowed to race," Mia explained. "Not that I even want to, but Dom gets kinda overprotective when it comes to this kinda stuff."

It wasn't out of character to see that from the brawny hulk, his impression was one of those papa bears. Lenora squinted her eyes at the woman, there was little to no resemblance between the siblings. But it's not like she was the one to talk; Ellion was rumored to be taking on the looks department after their father, while she herself was the mini version of their mother.

She smirked. "At least you have one gal in the audience now."

Mia turned to her with a raised brow and Lenora grinned. She had to admit Mia was easier to talk to out of everyone she had met recently. Compared to Letty, the former and her had much more in common. She was starting to think that maybe being thrown off the bus the other day wasn't a bad thing after all.

They approached a closed off neighborhood and Lenora could feel the sound of bass pumping into the ground beneath them. The music was so loud it had stretched over a good block.

"Letty and Vince are already here," Mia said, "we'll be meeting them in the front."

Lenora wasn't prepared to face the crowd of people cheering like it was the next Dallas Cowboy versus 49ers game. Confetti and empty beer cans littered the sidewalk and half-naked women showered themselves with attention from the men. Languages ranging from English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean mashed up into one ball of indescribable sounds, causing a split second of confusion in her.

In front of her, Mia was picking up her pace as she merged them into the crowd, blending in perfectly. Lenora found herself shoving off a few drunk men who were tripping over their two left feet. The place was much more chaotic than what she was accustomed to, and the heavy density of weed and cigarettes assaulted her senses as she dived deeper into the mass.

After getting her foot stepped on for what seemed to be the thousandth time, Lenora regretted wearing her boots to the event. They were, no doubt, going to be torn to shreds by the end of the night. Mia's strap-on heels clicked under the booming mob, and she struggled to keep up with the enthusiastic brunette.

They maneuvered around some more before the familiar face of Letty and the bearded man popped up in the crowds. At the sight, Mia called out to them.

Vince turned around first, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Mia!"

His louder voice brought them to Letty's attention and the latina raised a brow at the approaching company.

"Hey, girls, y'all late to the party," she chidded. "Dom's racin' Lance in about five." Giving Mia a warm pat on the back, she saw Lenora coming up to them. "Glad you could make it, chica."

Lenora gasped for breath. "Thanks for the invite! I heard Dom was quite the driver." Letty chuckled at her befuddled expression.

"I wish his race was more interesting for your first time here," she admitted almost sadly.

Vince sneered. "The stupid punk hasn't learned his lesson." He shook his head, lips curled up in disgust. "Dom wiped the streets with his ass last time, and he still doesn't get it."

Lenora flinched at the highly charged, emotional man in front of her. His fight with Leon from earlier resurfaced in her memory, and it didn't serve his impression well on her. What's with him and anger management?

"Watch your language, Vince!" Mia snapped. "You're getting worked up over nothin'!" She slapped him in the arms and rolled her eyes.

Vince peered down at her, his face suddenly becoming suggestive. "Wouldn't mind wiping your ass anytime, Mia."

His botched attempt at flirtation caught Mia off guard and she snorted in disgust before pushing him away. Hearing that, Lenora tried to hold in laughter, but she failed and let a hysterical giggle slip through. Vince turned his attention to her, his eyes narrowing in confusion before the harsh line of his forehead relaxed.

"You're the highschooler Dom picked up the other day!"

His comment made Lenora snort, but not in amusement. One of these days she really needed to find out just how old Vince really was.

Mia rolled her eyes so hard that Lenora feared it was going to get stuck at the back of her head. The brunette threw him a dirty look before tugging her away from him.

"Grow up, Vince. She's my age, and you creeped her out this morning."

The man threw his hands up in the air, acting oblivious. "Leon always says I'm stupid! I was just defending myself, Mia!"

Mia smirked. "Maybe I should use your pickup lines on you, sometimes. You can learn a thing or two from Leon on that."

Vince flushed bright pink at her words and she laughed. Lenora and Letty watched from the sidelines, both unsure of what to say about him.

Lenora sighed and turned to the main tracks. She was honestly looking forward to watching the race, despite the gossip from Vince. It wasn't like she understood much about cars, so either way it was free entertainment.

At the starting line, she could make out the large form of Dom aligning his Dodge Charger against the yellow lines. Next to him was a shorter, Asian man with spiky, dark hair preparing a Honda coupe.

"I'm assuming that's Lance?" Lenora gestured to the duo.

Letty breathed out a sigh and nodded. "Yup. And he hates Dom's guts."

"For beating him last time?" She didn't think something like this would get so much flack from the players. But then again, she remembered herself getting heated just by simply playing Uno with Ellion.

"Nah," Letty said. "Him and those guys go way back."

Lenora was no stranger to locker room dramas, back when she still had to play a sport in highschool, she had witnessed more than one fight break out between teammates, not to mention hearing even more drama from the boy's football team. It was all part of the package.

"And who's that guy?" She pointed at another man approaching Lance, dressed in all black topped with what looked to be a biker jacket. It was too far for her to make out his features, but she could tell that he was tall, almost matching Dom in height.

"Heh, that's Lance's homeboy Johnny Appleseed," Letty joked. "He _also_ hates Dom's guts."

Lenora snickered at the image of Dom pissing off everyone he saw with his face. "Boys will be boys."

The taller woman chuckled dryly. "Pfft, I wish." There was a definite edge to her voice after she mentioned whoever that person was, and a slight frown settled on her features. Lenora thought nothing of it and turned her attention back to the two men. 'Johnny Appleseed' ruffled Lance's hair and gave him a firm pat on the shoulders, then he stared straight at Dom. Even from there, Lenora could tell that it was a staring competition, and not the friendly type.

Shouting from all directions knocked her back to her senses as she saw the referee (or at least she thought she was, because referees didn't typically wear a bathing suit). The blonder waved at the masses, signaling the beginning of the competition.

Dom and Lance entered their respective vehicles, butting each other on the shoulders as they passed one another. Slamming their doors shut, they eyed the designated road. A whistle was heard from the blonde, and Lenora could only guess the meaning.

The crowd's cheer raised to a deafening boom, drowning her own thoughts within her. As if on cue, the engines revved to life with aggressive force. Hissing sounds of the batteries powered up in the air, with the familiar scent of gasoline tooting from behind. The blonde waved two red flags in a synchronized pattern, her earpiece enunciating her speech.

"One!" the referee shouted. "Two!...Three!...Go!" Her arms flagged down, and in that moment, the two cars shot forward, leaving only the trails of paper bags and dust in their wake.

Lenora's breath hitched in her throat as her neck snapped to the side to follow the blaring vehicles zooming into the abyss. She understood the hype now; it was exhilarating to watch the intense buildup before you saw a car become a rocket.

"Nora, let's go!" Mia tugged on her arms. Glancing at the younger Toretto, her mouth hung open.

"Wow."

Mia laughed. "I know, but we gotta keep up!"

Letty was nowhere to be found, despite being there with her just seconds ago. Lenora turned around in time to see the sea of people beginning to migrate like a school of fish towards the new destination. She followed Mia's form as the duo hopped onto a...golf cart. Another fit of giggles threatened to spill from her as she took Mia's hand and situated herself.

"Seriously?"

Mia quirked her lips. "Jesse's idea. Since we all can't get into cars at the same time."

Riding the cart in the middle of the streets was a funny scene to behold, but Lenora forgot about it all once she caught sight again of the two cars trying to squeeze each other off.

Dom was much slicker and agile in movements compared to Lance, and soon enough, the distance between them increased. His black Dodge wiggled its way through most cracks, utilizing every nick and turn the street had to offer.

Lenora watched with complete fascination as the black car took the lead with ease. Lance's vehicle had somehow gotten stuck somewhere down the line, unable to advance forward unless using a longer route. By the time the two women had reached the crowd at the finish line, Dom's headlights could be seen charging from the distance.

Mia cheered on, losing her voice within the mass. Lenora, impressed with the whole display, let loose the adrenaline and joined in the clamoring. Dom went past the finish line without trouble, and he revved his engine in triumph. The mob gathered around his car, blabbering praises and swooning over him. He raised his hands, with a large grin on his face, as he accepted their applause.

Lenora watched on as he pulled Letty up to him, before smothering her with a passionate kiss. The amount of affection between them made her a bit envious, if she was being true to herself. In response. The crowd went wild with surprise, and Mia blew a whistle.

"He's a getter," Lenora teased. Raising her hand, she let Mia high-five her.

Mia winked. "It's what makes a Toretto a Toretto."

They clambered off the benches and into the separating mass. There was another race starting not long after, and everyone had to make their way back to square one. All thoughts on the other driver against Dom was deleted from her mind as she joined the party.

The rest of the events happened in a blur, with Lenora's stomach making its angry announcement every now and then because she had forgotten dinner. Vince had convinced her to have two bottles of beer and a box of fried wings, with Mia giggling like a schoolgirl with Brian on her side. Letty snuggled up to her boyfriend as the two started a conversation about the latest race and the respective competitors.

"You owned that lil shit just like last time!" Vince complained. "We got our hopes up for nothing!"

Dom eyed him warily before downing his own bottle of Corona. "Watch yourself. I dunno if we have ears from Tran here."

"Fuck that! Mia was raving about your skillset to her new pal like crazy. We thought you were gonna pull some Toretto shit today."

The gruffy man huffed in annoyance as Vince blabbered on along the lines about pride. Lenora scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, not knowing how to diffuse the ticking time-bomb.

"Maybe next time," Dom stated. "You're always welcome to join us."

Lenora flashed her best smile. "That'd be awesome!" The effects of the alcohol were kicking off, and she found herself all giddy and laughing at almost everything. It earned her a few stares from passersbys, but by then, she couldn't give a damn. When her stomach felt the warm emptiness of hunger again, she groaned in frustration before excusing herself from the group to get more food.

The food trucks were relatively close by, and her legs thanked her for that. She giggled to herself as she thought of something hilarious. Stumbling in line, she tried to read the menu with no success.

She cursed her low alcohol tolerance, and gave up, deciding to just order whatever when it was her turn. Out of everyone in her family, _she_ had to have the stupid Asian glow, coupled with being easily drunk. And Vince making her chugg three bottles of those didn't help either.

Call if first world problems or whatnot, it was embarrassing during a party. By the time she had moved up to the service aisle, she was thirsty. Instead of that gnawing hunger, a sick feeling settled in her stomach. It was likely the fried chicken that did the job, but it had tasted so good. Lenora hummed before asking for a cup of iced tea, sweetened. Satisfied, she slugged her drink as she made her way back to Mia and the others.

She was still grumbling over Vince and his middle-school antics, her head facing the ground instead of where she was headed. A sharp turn from her had her drink colliding with the chest of another person, with its contents slushing out like a waterfall.

"The fuck?!" the guy snapped.

Lenora blinked a few times before her eyes registered the short male in front of her. It wasn't Jesse. She was way too concerned with her growing dizziness to pay attention to the drama before her.

It was the guy Dom had raced at the beginning of the competition. _Leo, Leonardo, Lancelot…?_

She figured it wasn't that important to remember his name back then, and now she found herself in an awkward situation.

_Just pretend you don't know him, genius!_

" 'M sorry," she apologized. "Wasn't payin' attention."

The man leered down at her, lips wrinkling in contempt. "Watch it next time!" Bumping her hard against the shoulder, he shoved past her. Usually, that would've sent her snapping a snide comment at the perpetrator, but in her state, the idea of getting into altercations in public wasn't a great look. Plus, she wasn't going to see him that much after today. It wasn't worth the trouble.

Lenora resorted to heaving a sigh, before she resumed her way back. The lot was overflowing with people in all spaces, making it hard to spot the group. Couples were making out like they were gonna get it on in broad daylight, while some of the men from the race were now arm wrestling. She thought the music in the background was pretty dope, as her head bobbed to the beat as she walked.

She was beginning to realize that maybe she lost herself in the massive picnic when someone above her shouted so loud that she almost spilled her drink again.

"Cops! Cops!"

Lenora didn't understand the first time he said it. But by the third warning, her mouth gaped in shock as the mass of bodies began to disperse like rats in the sewers. Panicked shrieks and shouts erupted everywhere as everyone raced to their rides to evade trouble. At the sight of the stampede around her, her anxiety spiked to the nines and fear crawled up behind her neck with its spidery legs.

She still hadn't found Mia or anyone yet. Lenora winced at the thought, she didn't want to jinx anything. How the fuck am I supposed to get out?!

"Nora! Nora!" Someone grabbed her by the arms and she screeched. Diverting her attention to her right, she saw Mia tugging her away with the crowd.

"We gotta go! The cops are here!" The brunette's voice was hardly audible amongst the screaming people around them. And on cue, it was then that Lenora heard the faint sounds of sirens blaring in the distance. Her stomach tied into a nervous knot as she sprinted alongside Mia.

She had seen police show up to house parties on multiple occasions back at her old place, so that wasn't much of a surprise to her. But she'd never seen people so frightened at the mere mention of them.

"Where's everyone else?!" she hollered. Her voice cracked at the strain. Mia looked back with a wink.

"Don't worry about them. We're gonna meet up with them separately."

They approached the street where the Acura was sitting, and Lenora wasted no time in getting in as soon as Mia unlocked the doors. Slamming them shut, the car roared to life and sped off into the darkness. The flashes of red and blue illuminated the roads of the neighborhood behind them, and Lenora wanted badly to think that she wasn't afraid. She had seen people getting arrested at Frat parties, but getting arrested herself was going to be a first. Her heart beated against her ribs like a pounding drum, as if trying to drown her thoughts.

Mia gasped. "We're gonna make it! We're gonna make it!"

The car behind them seemed to drift further away from them by the second, with Mia pressing onto the pedals like her life depended on it. Lenora could hear her ragged breaths like her own. They were both scared shitless under the darkened streets before them.

Mia swerved the car, and did a sharp turn at a cross section, before crashing a red light. Lenora yelped in relief as there were no other vehicles on the road at this time of day. She couldn't decide whether or not that was a good thing. The sound of the sirens grew faint as they headed to wherever that was safe. It didn't seem like Mia was going back home, but then again, it wasn't the brightest idea to let the cops trail you to your house.

Minutes passed before Mia finally slowed down the Acura in a quiet street, this time out of the police's range for good. She looked at Lenora with a funny expression, and Lenora to her. And then they bursted out in hysterical laughter. Lenora was covered in sweat mixed with her perfume, and Mia was no better. The adrenaline coupled with the alcohol they ingested had magnified their senses ten-fold, if not more so for Lenora.

"Shit!" she cried. The tipsiness from before was still lingering in her body. It was like going to cloud nine, and she never knew that this was possible by going to a fucking car race.

Mia giggled. "I suck at running away, though. It's my first time, too."

"Wow. Everything is...Just wow." Lenora reclined onto the seat, letting her breaths even out. The car was now driving at a stable speed, with both of the women still riding the high from the chase.

"We get that a lot," Mia said. "I hoped you had fun! Though I'm sorry for the way it ended."

Lenora guffawed. "Not a problem! Just never thought cops wanted to raid something like this. Like who does that?!"

"I know right?"

As they came down from the clouds, Lenora noticed that the area they were approaching was full of Asian markets. She could make out some of the Mandarin signs that had 'grocery' and 'hair salon' printed in the front, and a bunch of other closed stores that were either in Korean or Vietnamese.

_Are we in Chinatown or something?_

She thought it was funny because it looked nothing like the one she had been to in San Francisco. The buildings only mildly resembled those of her culture, and she swore that there were more Korean and Vietnamese signs than Mandarin.

"Uh, where are we again?" she glanced at the brunette with a raised brow. Mia seemed to just hear that, because she blinked in confusion. Her bubble was popped by Lenora and she looked around them, panic coming back to her eyes.

"I hope this isn't the place where Dom told me to keep out," she muttered.

Lenora gave her a weird look. "Why aren't you allowed here in the first place?"

Mia didn't look at her, her eyes seemed to be searching for something instead. "It's a long story. I'm gonna try to take us back to the main road home."

It was getting close to two in the morning, and Lenora's head throbbed with a migraine after the whole ordeal. She internally groaned at the thought of waking up the next day. Thank god for painkillers, though, else she wouldn't know how to deal with everyone tomorrow. She came to the conclusion that the 'long story' wasn't that important, and settled on maybe napping until Mia got them out of there.

The car was approached a large sign in the front, and Lenora grumbled something about not knowing how to read Chinese before she heard a gasp from her friend. The brunette's face went from a slight frown to an alarmed look of fear as she saw the street name ahead.

"Crap! We needa get outta here," she hissed at no one in particular. Lenora peered up from her sleeping position curiously. What the hell was happening now?

"Cops?"

Mia shook her head violently. "No. Worse! I won't be able to flirt my way out of this." She floored the gas pedal and the Acura began its escape. Lenora let out a small shriek as the velocity jerked her forward.

Her head was now full of question marks as Mia's grip tightened on the wheel. There was nobody on their tails, just some random buildings around them.

"W-what's going on?!"

"No time to explain! I need to get us out first!" Mia's ragged breaths returned, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. She was in a worse state then when chased by police, which could only mean that there was something, or someone, else out there that was a much bigger fish. Lenora stared at her in dazed bewilderment as the car continued its run.

"Wait, are we running away from someone?!" The thought of being chased by a serial killer or a crazy ex made Lenora's heart clench. She prayed that Mia was joking, because she didn't want to know just how bad the night was going to end.

When Mia nodded at her question, Lenora slapped a hand to her face in defeat. The crickets outside combined with the howling sound of the car only made her anxiety worse.

"Did they see us?!" she drawled frantically. Her mouth felt heavy, either with fear or exhaustion, she didn't care.

Mia's bottom lip trembled. "I dunno! But I'm not-"

A flash of light hit the rearview mirrors and Lenora thought she saw a group of smaller headlights making their way to the moving Acura. Her clouded mind in addition to the dark made it hard for her to make out what it was. But as the lights neared, she saw at least four motorcycles speeding up towards them.

_Please don't let it be them, please don't, please don't!_

"Shit!" Mia screeched. She tried to drive faster, but the people behind them were catching on in response. "Oh god!"

Lenora gripped the door handles in an attempt to stay calm. "Who they?!"

The brunette beside her hyperventilated as she tried to keep her composure. And before they knew it, a tap came at the window, prompting Lenora to scream. She didn't even hear anyone approach them. To each side was a rider covered in shaded black helmets, and each were holding a pistol in their hands as they used it to get their attention.

Lenora was sure that it was fear that stopped her from yelling bloody murder into the rider's face. Meanwhile, Mia groaned and slowed down the car. The Asian snapped her head to her in disbelief.

"Wait, why aren't we running?!" At the sight of Mia giving up just like that made her want to throttle someone. Lenora wasn't searching for a chance to become the next crime victim, and she sure as fuck wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"It's too late," Mia whispered. "Just stay calm." Her tone was even, but the terror laced in her eyes gave everything away.

"What-" Lenora's protest failed to leave her lips when the rider on Mia's side pulled down his visor. Brown eyes showed through, glaring at them as if he wished them the most painful death. Lenora didn't need a college degree to know that it was a man. Her brain overrode every command in her body, and she found herself unable to move or speak.

The man jerked his head, motioning for them to follow. Mia inhaled and turned to the wheel to face the car in their direction. Lenora could only watch on with growing dread in her chest as the duo went along with the crowd of bikes. She clenched her eyes shut and counted to ten, trying to conjure images of her favorite place like her therapist had told her before. But the pictures of that little house by the beach only made her want to choke with incredulous laughter. Her brain was filled with fog and her fingers shivered against the cool autumn air blowing in

Her eyes flew wide open as the car came to an abrupt stop. Lenora jerked forward, unable to contain the jitters.

"I'm so sorry," Mia said. Her voice broke at the end, and Lenora could tell that neither of them were holding it together.

Lenora saw that they were now in an abandoned parking lot, far from the main parts of town. Partially destroyed structures surrounded them, and the smell of mud and dirt soiled the air. They were in some deep shit.

The rider in the middle, doned in all black, stepped off his ride. And from her seat, Lenora thought she saw that figure somewhere before. Her mind went back to the race a few hours ago, and tried to profile him to a face and name.

Despite being clothed head to toe in heavy leather, his broad chest and v-shaped waist was still prominent to the naked eye. She wouldn't be surprised if he sported a full beard with dragon tattoos all over his body. Lenora swallowed thickly as he sauntered to the car, footsteps meticulously slow and languid, but with a sharp edge.

His heavy steps hammered terror into her inch by inch as he closed in on them. Once he was just centimeters away from the lights of the car, his hand moved to his helmet. Lenora glanced at Mia, finding the latter staring right back at him. She grimaced as she braced herself to meet his face. She'd seen all types of mugshots from NCIS, all of them not pretty. There was nothing more the guy could do to scare her at this point.

The helmet was yanked off his head, revealing a good amount of curly, jet black hair and a chiseled jaw. Lenora had to shake her head to make sure she wasn't hallucinating because of the beers. She was expecting someone way older than this; the guy looked hardly out of college.

The memory then hit her like a splash of cold water as her mind did a double-take. He was the same man with the other Asian dude Dom was racing earlier. Johnny Appleseed? It was a no-brainer that it was a nickname, but at least she had a tag to go with the face now. His eyes, a set of black holes, stared at them with unsettling intensity.

"Out the car, Toretto," he commanded. It wasn't a deep bass-like voice like she'd expected, quite nasally in fact. His face betrayed no emotions, with the smoothness of his skin, he looked like an alabaster statue. All of a sudden, Lenora didn't know if she could take the gangster-wannabe seriously anymore. She felt an emotion akin to annoyance trickling into her veins. In her hazy state, the most logical thing she could come up with was that this was a very pissed off ex.

Mia moved to open the door. "Stay in the car, Nora. I'll wrap this up as quickly as I can. Just lay low."She shoved her hands in her jeans as she trudged up to the man.

On the same level, Lenora noticed just how tall he was close up, and it made her hands shake with uncertainty. A whole bundle of scenarios ran through her; this could end up being a mugging, or a heated argument at best, or people getting shot at worst.

Mia stalked up to him, eyes hardening into icy daggers. He seemed to share the same sentiment.

"What do you want, Tran?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so Mia here has gotten them into a sticky situation...While Nora tries to fight off her wasted state, we get to see our other protagonist take the stage finally ;)


	4. Drunk First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smashed Nora meets angry Johnny XD

The windows of the Acura NSX were rolled down enough for Lenora to eavesdrop. Granted, she wasn't proud of it, but the nagging curiosity got better of her and she turned her ears forward to hear. Before her, Mia's scowl deepened. Lenora could see her fists shaking under the pockets.

"What's with your family and following directions?" the man asked. Arrogance seeped from his pores as he said so, despite sounding _almost_ polite.

Mia huffed. "I'm sorry, Johnny. We were running from the cops and didn't notice. It won't happen again, I promise."

Her words didn't appear to appease him, as his lips curled back into a sneer. "Your brother said the same thing. Is the family taking turns trying to push the limits, Toretto?"

Johnny still held his expression at an even level, but Lenora could practically see the smoke sizzling from his ears. She balled her her hands at the scene; everything about him was pissing her off. First his stupid sidekick bumping into her, and now he had the audacity to play fucking border patrol.

_Is the guy high on some? Who the hell gave him the right?!_

"I swear I didn't mean to disrespect you," Mia tried. "It was my first time being chased and I seriously lost track." She attempted to back away, but was stopped when he advanced forward in one step, towering over her shivering form like a madman.

"You think I believe that?" Johnny probed. "Two times in two weeks. Does it not sound fishy even to a braindead Toretto like you?"

Mia flinched at the acidic comment. She tried to puff out her chest, but even Lenora in her drunk state knew that it was a farce. The woman in the car heaved a sigh and gritted her teeth; she didn't realize the bad blood between the two was this serious.

"Don't insult my family!" Mia grounded. "I'm the one who ticked you off."

Johnny smiled, though his eyes remained blank, sending chills down Lenora's spine. It reminded her of the cheshire grin from that Disney movie she saw as a kid. Even under normal circumstances, if she'd seen him in broad daylight, her reaction would still be to turn around and break for the hills.

"That's not for you to say, anymore," he drawled, grin spreading wider.

Mia snapped her head up to meet him in a challenge. "You want to fight me or what?"

Lenora yelped at the declaration. There was no way the two of them could take down the dozen of the riders. She didn't even know how to walk gracefully for heaven's sake! They would be bulldozed six feet under in a minute.

Hearing her statement, Johnny let out a throaty laugh, sending echoes through the parking lot.

"Nah, I wanna see your bro. Tell him to come here, now."

It was evident that he wasn't negotiating, and Lenora could tell that the punk was used to getting his way with everything. It served as a reminder of the stuck up gym rats, who she had the misfortune of conversing with. She fought to keep her rising temper from getting the best of her. But seeing that smirk on his face gave her an irresistible urge to go up and slap it right off.

"I'm not dragging Dom into this," Mia hissed. "Just let me go and you won't see me ever again."

Johnny shook his head. "I warned him last time. There needs to be consequences from here on out." He moved to grab the phone in Mia's hand, but she dodged his attempt.

That proved to be the last straw for Lenora as her brain short circuited. In her fogged up mind, all she could think of was pulling Mia away and giving the meathead a good chew out. And before her brain even registered the action, her hand pushed at the door, and she stomped out like a toddler about to throw a tantrum. The sudden movement caught the attention of some of the riders, and they shouted in a foreign language.

"Excuse me!" she snapped. Her legs wobbled at the sudden movement, and her head spun. But that didn't deter her as she stormed to the two people in the front. Waving her arms up like a maniac, she successfully caught the attention of her intended target. Johnny's head turned her way, brows scrunching up in anger and disbelief at the fuming woman.

He moved his mouth to say something, but was cut short when Lenora shoved herself between him and the brunette, pushing Mia away.

" _Who_ do you think you are?" Lenora snapped. "Who the fuck gave you the right to play border patrol?!"

His face contorted as he stared down at the newcomer before him, eyes twitching. Even in her boots, Lenora had to crane her neck to meet him in the eye. But her adrenaline fueled indignation left no room for her to feel anything else.

"Who is this, Toretto?"

She felt a vein pop when she realized he didn't even acknowledge her. Blocking Mia from his view once more, she put on the face she had in store for special dickheads like this one.

"I'm tulking to yuh, hotshot!" She made sure he saw her fists clench. "Leave her alone!"

Lenora sidestepped, herding Mia away in the process. The brunette gripped the sleeves of Lenora's jacket, all the while shaking. In response, Johnny stared at her like she had grown two heads.

"Do you know who I am?" His eyes bulged with either anger or dubiety, but none of that mattered to her.

"I don't," Lenora stated flatly. "Shuld I, though? Are you the jock of the block?" She stuck out her hand and flipped him off. The way his face fell was hilarious.

"I'd watch what you're saying, woman," Johnny warned. "You're on my turf."

That statement alone was enough to make her burst into hysterical giggles. It sounded stupidly immature and funny all at once. "The lass time I was in 'Merica, it was a free country."

He smirked. "Not here. Any friend of Toretto's is an enemy of mine."

"I didn't know your wereee elected town mayor!" Lenora gasped, tone drenched in sarcasm.

"Nora, wait-" Mia tried to grab at her, but she held a soothing hand over her shoulders. Lenora was done with the shit he had been spewing, and she wanted the headache to stop. All the bickering wasn't doing anything to help.

"It's ok," Lenora whispered. "Just don't let em see fear." Turning back to the towering male, she bared her teeth and threw him a dirty look. "I dunno what happened between you two. But all I'm gettin' here is some sore loser who can't take second place and izzz now blowin' steam on two inn'cent women. So you can do yourself a fucking favor and shove it, or I-Imma call the cups!"

The part about calling the police was a bluff, although it wouldn't hurt to try. Lenora held her ground, ignoring the smoldering glare from him. It _did_ unnerve her, much her chagrin. To her, the guns were added affect on top of the danger he radiated.

"I won't ask a third time," Johnny said. h=His voice now incredibly low. "Who. Are. You?"

Lenora snorted. "Imma her friend if that concerns you. Now can we leave?"

Johnny's shoulder tensed as he stared past to the younger Toretto behind her. His lips sealed into a thin line and he growled. "Your brother brought a mechanic. And now you're bringing a little girlfriend? You're testing my patience, Toretto."

"And you mine!" Lenora shrieked. She was sick of him playing high and mighty, and the alcohol in her blood was doing a great job at keeping her anger running. Her own audacity surprised her. "Look. The longer y-you ass complains about your furst world problems, the more you haf to look at uhhs. So how bout you be the adut here and let gooo?!"

She thought she heard Mia say something to her on the side, but in the moment, her tunnel vision could only focus on the man. Her breathing was wavering and she was losing the ability to center on his face. The world teetered from left to right for a second before going back to normal. Sweat coated her palms as she tried to look as menacing as possible.

"What's wrong with you?" His question caught her off guard. This time, his face held a look of perplexion.

_Damn it. Don't let them see that you're scared!_

"W-What wrong with _you_?!" She choked on the last syllable. Taking a shaky step forward, she was about to butt him with her body when Mia pulled her back.

"Johnny, she's really drunk," Mia explained. "I'm just trying to get her back safe. _Please_ let us go!"

Lenora felt it then, the familiar feeling of a pounding skull. The whole chase by the police on top of things only added more stress to the pile. She wrestled with her brain to keep her gaze steady, but the pressure from being under his stare was beginning to crack her resolve.

"What are ya gonn do? Shoot two college girls?" she taunted. A nervous chuckle escaped her. "Is that how you're gonna assert your dominance?"

The young man didn't peel his gaze from her, his jaw tightened and she heard the grinding of his teeth. She held her breath, waiting for him to bark his next insult. The whole lot was eerily silent after that, with the riders waiting for their command. Lenora was preparing a whole speech while they waited, only to have Johnny give her one last look over before he whipped around and stormed away.

Mia binked. Lenora blinked with her. Her mouth opened and closed, at a loss on whether or not she should keep acting tough. What's up with him now?

"Don't think, even for a second, that I'm taking pity on you," Johnny sneered. He faced them again once he situated himself on his bike. "I do not want to hear rumors about me taking advantage of inebriated women."

"You already did," Lenora mumbled under her breath. His masked head snapped in her direction and she almost jumped from her skin. Even with the helmet on, she knew that he was leering right at her. He barked something she couldn't understand, and the rest of the crew obediently turned on their bikes and filed out from the parking lot one by one. The residual smoke made Lenora gag, bile rose to her throat as she tried to keep down her tussling stomach.

She watched as he revved his engines on at last, and glided towards them. He slid to a stop mere inches away, but didn't remove his visors.

"This is my final warning." h\His voice sounded from under, "Don't ever set foot near here again."

Behind her, Mia shivered and nodded. Lenora, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and looked away to hide her grimace. As if she'd listen to some wannabe gangster bro; the fact he was making the demands made her only want to come here again just to spit on his face.

He didn't comment on their silence, and kicked off the engines to join his companions, leaving them standing in the now empty lot, trembling in their wake. Lenora focused on the silent chirpings of the crickets, trying to take reign of her pumping heart. She never thought she'd appreciate the wind blowing on the trees at night, in this case, it grounded her.

She wrapped an arm as best as she could around Mia, careful as to not fall on her because of her wobbly legs. And the brunette returned the sentiment and hugged back. For five minutes, the women just stood there, doing their best to calm one another down from the disturbing incident. Lenora herself still couldn't believe the amount of gals she had back there to go head on with Johnny. She wasn't sure if she would've been like that if she had been sober, so she figured that getting tipsy tonight really did save her.

"Is alright," she whispered, "they're gone. We're okay now."

Mia gave a jerky nod before letting go. "Thanks for standing up for me."

Lenora smiled. "Us gals haf to watch each other's backs…" Her tongue rolled around, lisping as she spoke. She found it easier to talk now that she was sobering up. Her migraine remained, but it was better than having to deal with a heavy cottonmouth.

"I'm so sorry for that," Mia said. She averted her eyes when Lenora moved to face her directly. Lenora frowned before sighing.

"You can explain it to me when you feel like it." Rubbing her shoulders, Lenora started at the Acura. Mia clicked the car open and they slid in, taking in the scenery before them.

"It's a shitshow," Mia explained. "There's so much drama even I can't fathom it."

Lenora groaned and reclined the seat, shifting for the most comfortable position. "Well, I'm always down for a good gossip."

Mia gave a half-snicker and turned on the vehicle. Pulling onto the road, the car began to speed up. They both came to the conclusion that it was a bad idea to show up back home in a frizzled mess, with Mia being afraid to tell Dom about the whole Johnny situation.

"We can go for a drive until you are ok with going back," Lenora offered. "I'm not too busy tomorrow anyway." In reality, she had enough things on her schedule to keep her busy. But with her racing thoughts in addition to riding out the high, it was better to take a hike.

"Sure," Mia responded. She glazed over the road ahead and the car continued its peaceful pace on the semi-empty freeway. Her shoulders dropped as she caught up to the realization that it really was over. Lenora felt her lids getting heavier by the minute, exhaustion threatened to overtake her as she listened to the engine purring in the background. On second thought, doing a night run wasn't a terrible thing.

"He's Dom's rival," Mia spoke out of nowhere. Lenora furrowed her brows and looked up in surprise.

"Hah, and here I thought he was some crazy ex," she joked.

Mia scoffed and shook her head. "Nope. Wouldn't dream of it. The guy's psychotic."

Lenora snorted. "You got that right. Might wanna add 'delusional' to that list, though." That succeeded in making the driver laugh. "So why the irrational hate?"

"Long story short, before Dom made it official with Letty, he slept with Johnny's sister during a one night stand," Mia continued. "That broke whatever trust Johnny had with him, and he did the drastic action of cutting anyone who was with Dom off."

"Was she underage?"

Mia scoffed. "No. Dom would never."

Lenora squinted in confusion. "So why was your brother hangin out with him?"

Mia tensed her jaw, appearing to be mulling over something. After biting her lips for a moment, she exhaled. "Dom helps people fix cars, and one of his main importers was Johnny. The guy may seem young, but he has a knack for business. So my brother spotted him and struck a deal."

The details were lost to Lenora as she twindled her hair. She still couldn't find the reason why Johnny would go as far as to threaten the lives of others over his sister's private life. If she was being fair, it all sounded like some blown up locker room drama about who's sleeping with who and who's getting revenge.

Lenora shrugged. "I honestly don't see a big deal with this. If both parties consented to that one night stand, then who's to judge?"

Mia clicked her tongue thoughtfully. "Apparently Johnny took it to heart. And now we're here."

"Am I seriously banned from that part of the city?" Lenora asked warily. Mia glanced at her with unease on the side, her fingers tapping against the wheel.

"Johnny hates everyone involved with us," she said, "I would be cautious if I were you."

The more they talked about him, the more Lenora was getting the picture of a territorial toddler who was pissed that he didn't get his way. It was a surprise to her that he had the intelligence to deal with trade.

"Honestly, sounds like a headache to deal with," she admitted. "The guy's got the emotional level of a five-year-old, except he has a gun. I wager that it's a fake to bluff."

Mia turned her head to stare at her, expression unreadable. Lenora didn't think too much of that.

When she winked at her, Mia chortled with good humor. "Vince thinks the same on that one. Looks like you got another friend."

At the sight of Lenora's flat face, she guffawed.

Lenora grumbled. "Well I should thank him for getting me all topsy turvy, else I wouldn't have had enough to say to the guy's face."

"That's true," Mia agreed. "Though that's probably the reason why Johnny is banning you, too. I've never heard anyone else call him a border patrol and then laugh in his face like it was the funniest thing."

Lenora winced at the vivid memory. After cooling down her raging temper, she did see how it could've backfired immediately on her had Johnny been extra unstable. But she squashed that thought down without mercy. The idiot deserved a good lecture on decent human behavior.

Setting all musings on him aside, she stared out into the city of LA, admiring the lights that decorated the buildings in the front. At least she was now able to go back and pop some Advil before meeting up with Mia again on Sunday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers to another chapter! I hope Nora being Nora made y'all happy...


	5. I Have the Right to Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rage and indignation flooded her, making her see red. The incident that night had been on its way out from her memory cache, and it wasn't like she took the noob gangster seriously. Her shoulders tensed as she stared straight up to meet his glowering form. She couldn't let him see through her scrambled mind; apprehension clouded her, but in that moment, all she could do was look right at him.
> 
> "Yes," she snapped, "it's your friendly neighborhood wallhopper."

Much to Lenora's delight, at least some things turned out to be a positive interaction following the days after the racing competition. Mia was eternally grateful for her 'help', and the former couldn't stop thanking her until it got to the point where it bordered on annoying. As much as Lenora took pride in her badge of honor, she really didn't want to hover over the Tran incident any longer than she had to.

Once they had gotten back to the house, Dom had stared at her long and hard before simply patting her on the back, with Letty beaming almost proudly like her child had won first place in a math competition.

Vince and Jesse hooted, while Leon shook his head with a sly grin plastered on. It was like a milestone for them, apparently.

Lenora figured that whoever this Johnny person was, he was really the bane of this family's existence. It felt like she had completed some sort of initiation to be fully embraced by the group, not that she cared. But otherwise, her life carried on as usual, as if the horrific experience from before was just another distant memory. To be frank, she would rather keep it that way, as she still had other things to worry about in her new life.

For example, she ran out of Yakult...In just a week. Again. She had been drinking the beverage nonstop from morning to night and she had only noticed the empty cardboard box until now. Huffing, she closed the fridge a little too loudly and went to fetch her purse and keys. Fortunately for her, online classes didn't require her to show up, so she could slack off as much as she wanted.

She thanked the gods for getting a bike the other day, else she would've been stuck asking for another ride to the bus stop. It was extra sunny that day, and she had decided on a cute sundress to wear out. In the process, her mind then came to the idea that she could just eat out for lunch after her grocery trip. Her hands grabbed the jewelry case from the drawers, and she opened it up with excitement. She couldn't wait to mix and match some of her newest additions.

Lenora paused as she lifted the covers of the box; she had grabbed the wrong jewelry set. Her eyes settled on a dainty necklace with a moonstone hanging from it. The dull colors of the chain hinted at the age of the piece, despite it looking as classic as it was. On top of the moonstone was an engraving, and if one had the patience to look closer, they would see the name 'Theresa' embossed onto the gold nugget.

Without thinking, she clasped it around her neck. In the mirror, it complimented her outfit like it belonged to it. The moderate sheen of the jewel gave off a nice, soft vibe, helping the elongation of the neck.

It was a beautiful piece. But it gave Lenora the most unsettling churn in her stomach. She couldn't wear it. Her mind shut down as a face appeared in her head; the smell of chlorine and hospital sheets saturated her senses. It wasn't right wearing her mother's jewelry.

Yanking it off, she placed the necklace back into its box. She proceeded to insert it back onto the highest shelf she could find. Muttering something incoherent to herself, she settled for one of her older pieces she had gotten for her birthday a few years back. Turning up the radio, she prepared her outfit, and the other necklace was quickly forgotten.

The bus ride to the downtown market was uneventful, and it got on Lenora's nerves that she had to pretend to read the newspaper for half an hour to avoid being hit on by random highschoolers trying to shoot their shot at any breathing female.

She thanked the driver mindlessly as she stepped out of the transport, breathing in the crisp fall air. It turned out to be a great idea for shopping today. The weather wasn't overbearingly hot, and a few clouds shielded her from the sun. Lenora had asked around for a good Asian market recommendation, and all fingers pointed to either Chinatown, or a place called Little Saigon.

It then dawned on her that she had strayed a bit too far from Chinatown. Her current location placed her in a position where it would be easier to just keep going straight to the second option. She'd never heard of that name before, so she took that chance as an excuse to talk herself into going. Peking duck was always accessible the next time.

Lenora wasn't prepared for the massive crowd of people on a weekday at the plaza. Her heart did a little flip at the sight of the building. It was humongous, and to her, that only spelled good news. She didn't mind the main language being Vietnamese or Korean there, as long as she got to sample the delicious cuisines.

She found a food stand selling what seemed to be cold brew coffee. The strong scent of sweet caramel filled her nose as she reached the front line. She was reminded of her recent insomnia, and the lack of sleep she had the previous night. Having a bit of caffeine in the middle of the day shouldn't hurt.

The elderly woman was quick to realize that she wasn't able to speak the language, causing Lenora's cheek to flush with embarrassment as she pointed at the prettiest looking drink on the menu. Mary (or at least her name tag said she was) laughed heartily at her blushing form and pointed to another one of the pictures.

"See one here," she explained, "taste very yummy, like sweet vanilla caramel. You want?"

It took Lenora a minute to register that the woman was trying to give her a recommendation. At the thought, she smiled gratuitously and nodded.

"Yes, please."

Mary's eyes twinkled with delight. "You will like it! Promise."

A few minutes passed, and Lenora found herself eyeing the cold drink like it was the best coffee she's ever had. It was the perfect balance between a buttery flavor mixed with dark cocoa and creamy milk. The sweetness was just right for her cravings and she moaned as she took her first sip.

She left a generous tip for Mary, vowing to come back at a later date for more. Looking at her list, she decided to move lunch below the criteria, seeing that she had a drink in hand. Next was the supermarket.

Fortunately for her, there was an English translation to its respective label everywhere she went for the most part. Lenora wasn't sure if she would've been able to move around had she not understood a single sign.

The market had an assortment of exotic fruits and vegetables, with its very own bakery set to the side. She spotted some fresh dragon fruit and lychees, and thought of the ways she could mash them into smoothies. Her long awaited beverage was finally found in a small corner, tucked away from the mass.

With her daily food conquest checked off from her list, she made her way out of the store with the goodies in hand. She caught wind of a nice lunch spot by a couple nearby and made up her mind to spend the rest of her afternoon there. The bags in her hands were a little heavy, but she didn't mind. What she didn't notice, however, was that the route that led to the cafe had to go through a rather narrow street that was shielded away from the public.

Lenora hummed her favorite tune by Cher, strutting alongside the road. The events of the day had put her with a lighthearted demeanor as she strolled around. She was so engrossed with the prospect of a yummy meal that she failed to notice the group of men she passed on the way. They were congregated near a backdoor, murmuring amongst themselves when her footsteps alerted them of her presence.

She had barely made it to the other side of the building when a harsh voice stopped her in midstep.

"Hey! You! Lady!" A whistle was blown at her, an obvious attempt to catcall. Lenora rolled her eyes and turned around, giving them a dirty look. The men were dressed in either black shirts or wife beaters, smokes coming out of their mouths like they were a train engine. She resisted the urge to grimace in discontent. It wasn't her problem.

One of them, a grungy looking youngster in black sweats, beckoned at her to come over. Putting two fingers to his lips, he stuck out his tongue. It made her gag, not caring who she insulted anymore. Glaring at him, she moved to give him the finger.

"Hey cutie, you look lost," the man drawled, "c'mere and I'll show ya 'round hmm?"

"I don't speak the language," Lenora grated. "Now if you'll excuse me-" Her words caught in her throat when she heard the backdoor creak open. Two men came out of the raggedy hole, with one of them wearing atrociously patterned trousers. On close inspection, it looked to be of red python. She couldn't make out the faces of the two amongst the gathered group; not that it mattered.

Lenora caught herself reading way too much into the interaction and turned to leave. Nothing good ever came out of dealing with these types.

"Stop right there!" Someone yelled. She ignored it and trudged faster. It was broad daylight, and she doubted they could do much to anyone. Footsteps sped up behind her, and she whirled around in alarm. The bags were brought up into a makeshift shield, putting as much distance as possible between her and the man.

Meeting her gaze was a large chest mere inches from her. She yelped and jumped back, shaking at the surprise attack.

"You," the man hissed. Lenora froze at the sound, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She could recognize that nasally hum anywhere.

Standing over her, with his hands shoved in his pockets, was a very angry Johnny Tran. The memory from last week flashed across her vision, and she almost forgot how to breath. Out of everywhere in that fucking town, how the hell did she catch him at this time?! Under the debris of her own thoughts, it was then she remembered the last words spoken to her that day.

Don't ever set foot near here again.

Rage and indignation flooded her, making her see red. The incident that night had been on its way out from her memory cache, and it wasn't like she took the noob gangster seriously. Her shoulders tensed as she stared straight up to meet his glowering form. She couldn't let him see through her scrambled mind; apprehension clouded her, but in that moment, all she could do was look right at him.

"Yes," she snapped, "it's your friendly neighborhood wallhopper."

His nostrils flared slightly, adding more lines onto his youthful face.

"Any friend of Toretto's is not welcomed here," he stated. "I meant you too when I warned the wench."

Lenora felt her temper spike up to new levels. Here she was, minding her own business, just like last time, and in comes the local jock demanding this and that, disrupting her perfect flow. If it weren't for his meddling underlings, she'd already be enjoying her bowl of jjajangmyeon down the streets.

"Watch what you call people," she retorted. "She did nothing to you."

Johnny smiled cruelly. "Oh, but she did."

"By being related to your sister's _ex_?" Lenora wasted no time in biting back. "What the hell's wrong with you?!"

His face stilled in unspoken rage as she saw his brows twitch just like before. He leaned in, eyes on her face like he was going to pierce through it. She could see him shooting lasers out of them had he been a character in a sci-fi movie. Johnny grinded his teeth, and she was sure if it weren't for daylight, she would've been pointed at with a gun.

"Watch what you're saying," he growled. "Don't fuck around with my personal life. You're lucky you were drunk last time."

Lenora snorted, not believing the things she was hearing. The guy seriously thought the world revolved around him. "No one's fucking with your personal life. And believe me, I've got more colorful things to say to you after the little stunt you pulled."

He actually laughed at that, but his smile didn't quite light his eyes.

"I'd like to see you try when I blow up your lil friend's ride."

Her face fell at the threat. "You wouldn't dare!" She swore if she had her pan in her hands, it would've already made its mark on his smug face.

"I did it to her brother," Johnny countered, "what makes you think I wouldn't do it to her since her buddy here can't follow directions just like the others?"

"We should do it," came Lance's voice. Lenora snapped her head to the side just in time to see the man with horrendous fashion stalking towards them. Her heart began to speed up as she found herself facing the very people that Mia warned her about. The equally smug look on the shorter male pushed at her buttons. A thought popped into her head; Lance had a really punchable face.

She held her ground. "I'll call the cops."

Lance and the other men actually burst out with howling laughter. Taken aback at the response, Lenora felt her frustration rising with her anxiety. They were a bunch of disgusting hogs. Johnny smirked at her attempt.

"Cops won't do shit for you here."

The worst case scenario appeared in her head as she thought of the ways this could end. Johnny was not the kind of guy to just let her off with a hard squeeze on the arm. Bile threatened to spill as she clenched the shopping bags. She was alone in this, there was no way she could overpower seven grown ass men.

"Are you going to rape me?" she whispered. Her usual combative stance waned as she slowly began to see more and more people filing out the backdoor. She could hear music coming from wherever it was, and contemplated screaming for help.

Johnny looked at her like somebody had died. "Did you think I'd stoop as low as some village scum?"

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. But you are the village scum...

"You threatened to kill my friend," she hissed.

"Blow up her car," he corrected, "not kill her."

Lenora let out a bitter chuckle. "Is that much of a difference, Mr. Pyromaniac?"

"My turf, my rules." Johnny didn't seem like he was letting this one go. She threw her head up in exasperation; it really did feel like she was bantering with a small, petulant child.

"Y'know what? Maybe you should build a wall," she offered. "Then you can do everyone a favor and isolate your little tantrums from the good of mankind."

His frown deepened. "I don't appreciate your-"

_Gruuuuuuuuuuuugruuuuuuuuuuuugruuuuuuug_!

The entire gang fell silent at the loud rumble coming from the young woman. Lenora wished for the ground to come undone below and just swallow her whole. She wanted to scream at the rest of the onlookers for disrupting her lunch time, and for every little shit that happened to her. Her mood waved back and forth like a pendulum gone on steroids.

Johnny was dead quiet for a moment, before his lips curled into a lopsided grin.

"Someone's hangry."

She swore he was pushing her buttons on purpose at this point. " _Yes_ , I'm fucking hangry! Can't you see the groceries?! Now would you be so kind as to let me go, again?"

Johnny appeared to be thinking of a snide retort, and she puffed out her chest in preparation of her own. But the conversation was disrupted yet again when Lance handed him a buzzing phone. Johnny's lips turned to a slight frown at the sudden interruption, but his eyes widened from their narrowed frame once he read the caller ID.

A woman's voice came from the other side, chattering relentlessly in Vienamese. Meanwhile, Lenora prayed that this was going to be the end of their little run-in. She was already beginning to backpedal as Johnny became preoccupied with a new matter in hand.

"...Alright, alright Marie," he spoke, "I'll be there." Lenora blinked at the confusing change of mood; was this a girlfriend of his or what? He sounded...apologetic?

As quick as the call came, it was swiftly ended. Clicking the phone shut, he ran a hand through his hair, messing up the curls even further. Lenora peered at him, noting that the fine lines in his face had smoothed out. She was almost to the edge of the other side of the alley when his eyes shot back to her.

Lenora quickly averted her gaze, trying to salvage whatever dignity she had left. She didn't want to come across as creepy. The less of a threat she looked like, the higher chance of her escape. It was evident that he saw right through her. Johnny smirked at her retreating form.

"You got lucky again." However, he didn't storm up to her this time. "But it's gonna run out someday. Don't let me see you here again, or something will blow up."

"Wait, are we really letting-" Lance tried to cut in, but Johnny shook his head. Lenora didn't need him to finish his thoughts to know what he wanted. She shivered against the chilling stare of the shorter male, but failed to back down.

"Let's go." Johnny patted Lance on the back good naturedly, turning him around with him. "She's not worth the effort."

The offhanded dismissal ticked something in her as she watched his back become smaller and smaller as he went away. Relief washed over her, and she loosened the grip she had on her groceries. Thank god whoever called him, she didn't know how else to escape the situation otherwise.

Her body shook with indignation at the fact of being so easily stepped on. One of these days, she was going to get her license, and then she wouldn't have to deal with his shit any more.

:

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shoutout to all my supporters out there! Y'all are the best <3 I hope this chapter served as a bit more insight to certain characters now that most of the main cast has been introduced. See you next time ;)


	6. My Roommate Screwed Me Over (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm...or another way to say Lenora's one night of peace before another shitstorm hits the fan.

The next few days of tutoring Mia went along as per usual, although Lenora made no attempt to tell her new friend of her second encounter with the town bastard. She figured that it wouldn't have made a difference, seeing that the two sides were already on the brink of war. Her adding the new story wasn't going to do much.

After that incident, she made a mental note to carry around pepper spray wherever she went. She didn't want to think that Johnny scared her more than she'd like to admit, but she avoided that area for the time being. Lenora gave an estimated time of another few weeks before she would be comfortable enough with going to that part of town again.

Mia noticed her recent agitation and had offered to lend an ear for her problems. But she declined to tell her story, only giving up snippets of scenarios, many of them altered.

"You look like you've been through war recently," Mia pressed.

Lenora sighed and slapped a hand to her head. _I mean she isn't wrong._

"I'm fine," she insisted, "just met a bunch of annoying brats the other day and they wouldn't stop harassing me."

Mia squinted at her with great intent, eyes trying to read her. Lenora scoffed at the dramatic display and threw her hands up in the air.

"Seriously! I think you're just trying to divert attention away from you and Brian."

Lenora had caught the duo, too many times to count, sneaking glances at each other during Sunday barbeques. If Mia was trying to shove her previous 'no dating brother's friends' motto down her throat, then Lenora wasn't swallowing it.

Mia hid her face with her papers. "It's not like that! It was just a late night snack and then driving back!"

"You forgot the whole fancy dinner and going to the beach detail ." Lenora wiggled her brows. " _See_! You're blushing!"

Mia sighed and lowered the wall of paper. "We're just really good friends, Nora. Honest! I've never met anyone so easygoing and understanding and comforting who is a _guy_!"

Lenora feigned annoyance. "I should've recorded your face when you said that. Just look at your dreamy grin."

She laughed when Mia tossed her a failed glare. Lenora found herself finally letting loose in a long while. She couldn't remember the last time she sat down with a girlfriend and giggled over guys at school. It was a relief that she could still be a part of something as trivial as this, despite the bizarre background chaos.

Mia, on the other hand, wasn't giving in. The brunette tried to brush off Lenora's interrogation by suggesting another night out, but Lenora wasn't having it.

"I believe we were talking about _your_ dating life, not mine," she teased. "And who gets that close to a guy that fast?!"

"You don't understand! He's kind, and he knows his stuff about cars, and can hold a conversation without trying to get funky, and the way his smile glows when I crack a joke...yeah, who am I kidding. I think I'm in love." Mia sighed in defeat and laid down on her bed, her eyes glazing over the ceiling in a trance-like state.

Lenora chortled. "Come on, it's not that bad! If you think he likes you, then go for it!"

"It's not that," Mia admitted, "It's Dom. I can't handle him getting pissed over the fact I'm dating his client."

The thought made Lenora pause the twirling of her pencil. Biting her lip, she glanced at the frustrated Toretto.

"I don't think he'll be pissed, Mia. He was fine with him taking you out to dinner last time, and he was also fine with you guys driving alone to the beach, too. I seriously think you should just do it. Besides, it's you who's dating Brian, not Dom."

Mia smiled. "Thanks for the motivational speech. I might just ask him out."

" _That's_ the spirit," Lenora applauded. "I love a happy ending."

She hummed a jolly tune out loud, weirdly content at having set up another couple. Lenora quirked her lips as she scribbled the next few lines of her homework, not noticing the way Mia was now observing her.

"Do you have a guy back home?"

Lenora blinked at the question, momentarily lost in her thoughts. It had been a hot minute since she considered dating; the universe had decided that she needed to be buried under family drama and school in her free time. And all that still doesn't include her shitty romantic life.

"I dated a few times," she replied, "but they didn't go well." The memory of kissing boys behind the dumpster in highschool made her cringe. There was no way she thought that was the shit back then. Lenora wanted to lock those images away forever.

Mia frowned. "What happened?"

Lenora paused, unsure if she wanted to spill too much. "Well...My first boyfriend, if you could even call him that, dumped me over video games." She looked at Mia with a sheepish grin, almost breaking into laughter at the latter's expression.

Mia gaped. "Who the fuck does that?!"

"Terry did, apparently," Lenora said, "he wasn't too happy when I caught him playing video games once he told me he was busy at work. The relationship was mediocre anyways, and I still wonder why I stayed with him for over a year."

"That's...mature." Mia rolled over into a sitting position to face her better. "If it makes you feel better, my first boyfriend thought that kissing would get me pregnant."

Lenora almost spat out her water. "Excuse me?!"

"Yeah, he obviously didn't pass high school." Mia rolled her eyes at the memory. "Dumped me because of that. But I ain't complaining, he was the worst of the bunch, brain-wise."

"Well, it's better than believing the world is flat," Lenora offered, "else he'd really be screwed."

Mia snickered. "Don't jinx it, you might meet someone who does."

Lenora sighed and shook her head. At least her romantic past was left alone, mostly, for now. Although Mia's first ex really did give hers a run for his money.

* * *

The study session ended when Brian made an appearance in the Toretto's house. Lenora swore she sensed some sizzling envy when Vince tried to get between him and Mia in the room. She giggled and glanced at her pal, clearly enjoying Mia's love triangle dilemma, much to her expense.

"If ya ass wanna talk to Mia, then you guys can talk in the living room," Vince growled as he sized Brian up. The blonde didn't budge, showering his opponent with that smooth smile of his as usual.

"Mia wants to talk here, and I feel inclined to make her feel as comfortable as possible."

Lenora oohed at that, giving the brunette besides her a shameless wink. Mia snorted and waved her hands.

The two men before them paid no attention to the side conversation passing on between them. Lenora was only afraid that Mia's eyes would get stuck on the back of her head if the spat had dragged on. She was sure Vince was just seconds away from pouncing on the poor guy when Dom entered the picture.

The grumpy older Toretto wasted no time in shoving Vince out of the room, paying no heed to the blabbering coming forth from his mouth.

"Nora! You have to help me!" he cried, but his efforts were in vain as his voice was muffled by the closing door.

"Sorry!" Lenora called out, breaking into a sniggering fit. "Dom's too tall for me to save you!"

Mia snorted on the side, all the while flushing in Brian's presence. "So...What's up Brian?"

The blonde grinned at her. "I just dropped off my car at your brother's, so I thought maybe I should just come by on the way."

"Oh, I see." Mia twiddled her hair, glancing at Lenora nervously.

The latter blinked once before she got the message. _Ah, right. She needs to do this herself._

"I'll see you soon, Mia." She made a move to pack up. Shoving her paperwork into her bag, she offered her an encouraging grin. Mia couldn't hide her embarrassment any longer and broke into a nervous chuckle.

Throwing her a wink, Lenora shut the door on her way out. She couldn't wait to hear the news tomorrow, there shouldn't be any problems with them getting together. Brian might as well spell out his feelings for Mia while he was at it.

She had one foot out the front door when Letty called out to her. "We have tomorrow's barbeque at six, are you gonna join? Dom's takin head counts."

Lenora's mouth watered at the thought, partially because she was missing dinner, but Dom could make a mean burger if she was being honest. She never would've thought the man to be a good cook out of everyone else there. The talent probably came with the big-brother-caretaker package.

"Of course! I'll cover the refreshments this time," she answered. "But I might be a bit late. My roommate's moving in tomorrow and I promised to help her around." Letty gave a thumbs up and went back to doing whatever. In the corner of her eye, she spotted Jesse waving at her from the dining table, hands still in midair fixing some mechanical remote in front of him. She waved back and closed the door.

Over time, she had gradually gotten comfortable around the ADHD teen. Jesse was the most difficult to converse with at first, given his short attention span. But she quickly got the hang of his awkward attempts at trying to be her friend. He almost reminded her of one of Ellion's friends, the guy who was always fidgeting in the back during movie nights.

Her walk back home was uneventful, and it hit her that she still had to clean up the house before Kaya moved in the next day. The memory of all the unpacked boxes laying around the living room made her head throb.

Dinner was quick and plain, with Lenora setting up a bowl of ramen and a side dish of stir-fried cabbages with jerky. She organized her scattered clothes and shoes into a pile, and sorted them into the walk in closet of her room.

She was grateful for the two bedroom complex. Though upon her first arrival, she got to call dibs on the rooms. Kaya didn't seem to mind, which made the deal even better. Lenora was finishing setting up the remaining lamps in the house when her voicemail rang.

Thinking nothing of it, she reached over and pressed the speaker button. An unfamiliar voice of a woman blared through the microphone.

"Hi, Lenora! It's Kaya! I'm just calling you to give you a heads up about tomorrow. I have a bit of stuff I need to get in so I'm bringing two of my friends to help me sort it out. If that's ok with you, just shoot me a text. I can't wait to meet you!"

Lenora paid no mind to the message as she dusted the floor around her. Of course she wouldn't mind it, she was no stranger to coming to a new place unsupervised and scared. Though the good thing about that was she now had more time to go to the grocery for refreshments. And in all honesty, there was quite the anticipation with meeting Kaya.

She hoped that Kaya was going to be a decent roommate; it was her first time living with someone other than her sister. Previously, she had the privilege of owning a single in her college dorm back in northern California. But to save some money, she had come to the conclusion that she should just split the rent with another person. She knew she had more than enough funds for a whole apartment to herself, but something told her that she should start using her money wisely.

Shooting a simple text back, she set the phone down and got ready for bed. It was early compared to her usual schedule, but her body was starting to shut down despite her protests. She dropped the idea of watching a late night movie and climbed under the covers. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and she decided that getting enough rest wouldn't hurt.

Though it barely felt like five minutes between her head hitting the pillows and her eyes springing open at the screaming alarm over her head. Lenora grasped the offensive device and slammed it off. But the damage had already been done. Her body refused to go back to sleep as she tossed and turned under the blankets.

Opening one eye, she was met with the glaring sunlight shining its presence down on her face. The clock by her side printed the time in bold red for her to see. Lenora moaned and groaned and wished she didn't agree to help Kaya unpack. She had failed to realize how tired she was despite sleeping more than twelve hours.

It was t-minus thirty minutes until Kaya's arrival, and she still looked like she had just gotten out of a camping trip. Stepping out of the shower, Lenora scrambled to get herself together, pulling on her koala onesie. She realized she still had more than twenty minutes to spare and so decided to be comfortable for breakfast.

Tying her hair up into a bun, she grabbed whatever that was left in the fridge and threw it all together. Buttered toast with cereal was what she had to put up with for now, and she scribbled down the grocery list for the afternoon.

She was craving potato salad the other day, so she made it a priority to highlight it on top of the slip. Dom's potluck wasn't for another half a day so she was confident that she could sort out Kaya and figure out refreshments next.

Chasers for the drinks sounded like a decent side to bring, although she couldn't wrap her head around the dessert selection. Lenora was in the middle of shoveling her last spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth when a loud knock came from the door.

_Fuck! She's ten minutes early!_

Her mind reeled at the thought and she whipped around to locate her sweater and leggings. But lo and behold, once she was actually trying to find them, they've decided that it would be best to grow legs and run away.

Cursing, she knew that it was too late to run upstairs to change. The knock came again, this time much louder than before. Lenora, panicking, smoothed down her onesie and skidded to the door. Screw looking decent, Kaya was going to see her like this for most of their time together anyways.

Lenora swung open the door, heart racing in anticipation. What did she look like? Was she intimidating? Smart? Her mind jumbled together in a massive yarn as she winced at the sunlight beaming in without warning.

"Hi!" Kaya's voice sounded from the opening.

In her dazed condition, Lenora's greeting stuck to her throat. Her eyelids flickered, and her gaze focused on the newcomer-or in this case- _newcomers_. Then she felt her eyes bug out like Bugs Bunny's; Lenora almost spat out her milk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Take a wild guess as to why Lenora's soul is leaving her body... Drop it down in the comments!
> 
> ;)


	7. My Roommate Screwed Me Over II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny Tran...Boy oh boy was that man pushing her limits. In just a month of her stay in LA, Lenora was starting to believe that someone cursed her for all eternity. She didn't bother looking at the two other people in front of her, because all she could see was the man who pointed a gun at her, jumped her in an alleyway, and then threatened to blow up her friend, standing right in front of her porch with a suitcase in hand like he was about to board the first class train to Brattown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Y'all are correct 'bout Johnny! Here's some more drama in the mix! Enjoy! Bon appetit~

Typically, voodoo dolls and hexes weren't something that Lenora concerned herself with. She was a devout atheist from birth, and couldn't see herself changing that in the near future. Ghost stories and clairvoyant tales were simply things made to give her nightmares and that was that.

But Johnny Tran...Boy oh _boy_ was that man pushing her limits. In just a month of her stay in LA, Lenora was starting to believe that someone cursed her for all eternity. She didn't bother looking at the two other people in front of her, because all she could see was the man who pointed a gun at her, jumped her in an alleyway, and then threatened to blow up her friend, standing right in front of her porch with a suitcase in hand like he was about to board the first class train to Brattown.

She stared at him, and he stared back. But unlike her, Johnny held no emotion, not even a hint of surprise. Any trace of aggression or annoyance from their previous encounter was gone, replaced by a blank look, which surprisingly ticked her off even more.

Her brows twitched and her fingers trembled. Lenora imagined herself slamming the door in their faces and proceeding to cancel the lease while petitioning for a new identity. There was no fucking way that he was one of the friends helping Kaya move in. This was her place now, and she wasn't about to let some scummy ass, wannabe greaser step into her safe haven.

But the little fantasy was soon brought to an end when Kaya's voice knocked her back into her body. Lenora looked on with horror when she came to the reality that she was still wearing her onesie, this time in front of the town jackass. She wasn't sure if the heat on her face was from anger or embarrassment.

"You're Lenora, right?" The young, Asian woman with wavy brown hair smiled at her shyly. And that was all it took to squash any amount of courage Lenora had cooped up. She blinked at the woman in front of her, as if just realizing she was her new housemate.

"Yeah, it's me," she forced out. "Um, nice to meet you." The way her voice turned to a squeak at the end made her grimace. She looked over Kaya and saw another woman standing besides _him_. Ink black hair framed her pretty face in tight curls, with her large, brown eyes staring up in curiosity.

"That's Marie-Ann and Johnathan," Kaya said, following her gaze to the two behind her. "They're the friends I was talking about yesterday. I hope you don't mind!"

Lenora thought her head was going to burst under the pressure. _Of course I fucking mind! Get him off my lawn!_

But despite her raging insides, she gave a tight smile and nodded. A storm brewed in her mind as she went over the ways she could make this end faster. She couldn't just shoo Kaya's friends off the property, that'd create more bad blood than she would want. But she also didn't want to be in his presence for a second longer.

"Um, can we come in?" Kaya shuffled her feet. Lenora mentally slapped herself; as if the day couldn't get any crazier, now she seemed like a territorial nutjob who's engaging her roommate in a staring contest.

She cleared her throat. "Of course." Lenora whipped around so fast her world spun. She stood to the side as Kaya smiled and grabbed a luggage, motioning the other two to follow. Marie-Ann brought in a suitcase while Johnny hauled in a larger one. Meanwhile, Lenora watched as the trio moved the cases around the living room. The two women were oblivious to the glaring daggers she tossed at the back of his head.

Clenching her fists, she turned towards the kitchen and sped off. A glass of iced water should calm her down enough to interact normally with them. As much as she wanted to shove Johnny out the house, Kaya didn't deserve the fire she was gonna spew out. The best she could do was play civil, and it seemed like Johnny himself wasn't going to take any drastic actions, too. That meant she had to stay polite, else she'd come across as some stuck up snob who hated people.

Counting to ten while focusing on her imaginary favorite place, Lenora inhaled and stepped out of the kitchen. Marie-Ann and Kaya were busy unzipping the suitcases while Johnny was nowhere to be found. She breathed a sigh of relief and went over, remembering her promise to help Kaya unpack.

"I'm really sorry about this," Kaya said, "I wanted to move in sooner to save us the hassle but my parents got into some stuff and wouldn't let me."

Lenora was at a loss for words. She hadn't thought she came across as pissy to everyone; a twinge of guilt rose as she bent down with the others. "It's fine. I really don't mind. You guys just caught me waking up, that's all."

Kaya's shy smile turned confident. "Not a morning person?"

"Nope," Lenora admitted, "although school's been drilling me so I gotta grind in the mornings, too." She helped the two women bring up a table set and clothing rack. Marie-Ann was quiet through most of it, not really interacting with her as much. Not that Lenora expected her to be, the latter of the two seemed to be more recluse compared to the bubbly Kaya.

"It's my first time moving out, so I thought I upset you back there. Thank god all's good." Kaya beamed at her from the stairs.

_You didn't upset me. Your buddy did._ Lenora shrugged and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. Thank goodness Johnny had disappeared into his shithole.

She then assisted Marie-Ann in dismembering the paper boxes and shelving them into the attic. Lenora frowned when she started glancing around the building like she's never seen an apartment. Her eyes widened slightly in mild confusion at the water heater stemming from the crowded space.

"Never seen anything like that before," Marie-Ann commented.

"You've never been in an attic?" Lenora did her best not to sound surprised. It was bizarre to hear that a person their age would be awed at the sight of something so ordinary. Did she never play hide and seek with her friends during playdates? Overall, Marie-Ann seemed nice, like Kaya, and Lenora couldn't wrap her head around seeing Johnny with them.

_Or they could be faking it. People do that, too, smart one._

At that thought, she prayed that Kaya wasn't going to turn one eighty and become another headache to deal with. She still had two years in this house before she graduated, and she'd prefer graduating alive.

Kaya had called out to them from the bottom, prompting the two to clamber down the stairs to the main part of the flat. Her roommate was balancing a large headboard on her shoulders, and by the looks of it, it wasn't a nice feeling.

Lenora shoved all thoughts on Johnny aside and rushed to her aide. Kaya breathed out in relief as the pressure was lessened, and she turned to Marie-Ann.

"We can go get the other parts, Marie," she explained. "Johnny, can you help Lenora carry the headboard upstairs?"

Lenora's blood ran cold at the statement, and she snapped her eyes up to meet his as he walked towards her. She glared at him with Kaya's back turned. He paid her no mind and disreagrded her, then smiled very _kindly_ to his friend. It looked so out of place to her she almost had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

Him? Kind? And she was the president of the United States. Her instincts told her to haul the massive wooden board up by herself, but who was she kidding. Unless she fancied a trip to the hospital with a fractured spine, she needed a shit ton of help.

She was so lost in her musings that she didn't hear his footsteps approach her struggling form. Lenora felt the weight of the piece reduce and she gasped for breath. Where did Kaya get this bed frame?! It was like a ton of bricks compared to her measly, Ikea set. She felt her hands slip and she fought to keep her grip.

"Grab the top," Johnny said lowly. "Or you'll crush your fingers."

"You'd love that, wouldn't you?" Lenora couldn't keep her cool anymore and the snark flew out like it was made for this. It was a harmless comment, even helpful, in fact. But she knew that with him, there was only condescension and arrogance. Kaya and Marie had already disappeared outside, leaving the two of them behind. Lenora gritted her teeth.

Johnny didn't respond, he was looking toward upstairs where they were headed. Slowly, they established a balance as they ascended the steps. At least he was gentle with handling the item.

With his abrasive character, Lenora was surprised that he didn't just toss the thing like debris. It made her want to cry when she learned there were more of those down stairs. And like so, they alternated from up to down, hauling the individual pieces to Kaya's room.

She couldn't believe it; one moment he was threatening her livelihood, and the next he was helping her put together furniture. If there was a competition for the greatest mindfuck of all time, this was it.

It didn't make things better to know that Kaya had decided to work on putting her desk together with Marie, officially pinning Lenora next to the wretched man for the next hour. She huffed, not caring if he heard it. If she was going to be stuck with him, she might as well shed all social constructs. He rarely glanced her way, and when he did, it was to see what she was doing.

_He's probably kicking himself for calling it so soon! I bet he wants to shoot himself for having to see me again._

She knew that it was wishful thinking, because someone like Johnny Tran wouldn't spare a second glance at any other person on the streets due to his pea-sized brain. The image of that did happen to elicit a small snort from her, though she didn't care if he heard it.

_It's not like he can do anything to me here. Or anytime soon, unless he wants his friends knowing his two-faced life._

The idea dawned on her and she couldn't help but smirk. It was clear to her that no matter how much Johnny wanted to blow up the world for having his little territory crossed again, he still had an image to uphold. And she was dying to know how outraged he must be to know that she had settled in so comfortably in his _lovely_ neighborhood. Karma had never tasted so sweet in her life.

"Woman, hey, woman!" His agitated voice pulled her from her daydreams. "You're doing it wrong."

Throwing him a look, she scowled. "Pardon me?" Lenora gazed at the material in her hands and saw nothing amiss. Brat was trying to fuck with her again. Paying him no attention, she resumed her work.

By the looks of his tensed jaw and rigid shoulder, she knew he also had some bottling up in the making. She snorted; she wasn't responsible for his fragile ego. Had he been polite and not threatened people, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

She screwed the leg onto the main frame of the bed, but was caught by total surprise when a shadow loomed over her. Shrieking, she bolted upright and away from him.

"The hell?!"

Johnny's blank face didn't change. "I said you're doing it wrong."

Lenora gripped the pillar so hard her knuckles bled white. She turned to see if Kaya and Marie were around, and thankfully they weren't. Moving her mouth, she prepared a whole speech to blast him. Now that they were on her turf, she had zero tolerance for his shit.

"I'll have you know-! W-wait! What are you-?!"

Her words were cut off as he knelt down in front and proceeded to take the item away. Studying the set, he pushed a piece of paper into her view.

"Read the directions, and quit daydreaming." Johnny didn't even bother to face her as he spoke. Against better judgement, Lenora threw a cursory glance at the instruction sheet. Her eyes glazed over the general words, and she winced in humiliation as she realized she had forgotten to insert a small piece of the leg onto the frame before screwing the main parts together. Her snide retort died down immediately and she contemplated hurling herself off the nearest cliff.

Every time he was around, she always managed to embarrass herself to no end. First was getting drunk, second was her growling stomach, and now she can't even read properly. She was supposed to appear independent and intelligent, but all that came out looking like she'd been screwing around under a cave her whole life.

Peering at him, she noticed he had taken his jacket off, revealing a matching black muscle tee. Her eyes squinted. _Does the dude not have any other colors in the closet?_ She wouldn't think he could be like this judging from his previous behavior; if anything, all she was subjected to in this town was mind fuck over mind fuck.

Lenora watched on as he took hold of the materials and unscrewed them, suddenly aware of the way his biceps rippled underneath his bronze skin. His eyes were focused on the project at hand, face stern yet serene.

_He's kinda cute._ Her brain popped its final hinges and squawked a pathetic remark. Twitching, she squandered it without question. She wondered how depraved one must be to find someone with the likes of him attractive.

Johnny was a brute through and through, and Lenora wasn't going to let a good lighting from the sun change her opinions. In the end, she blamed it on the LA heat. The weather was known to cause mood swings in people, so why wouldn't she? She did a double-take. _Why wasn't the air conditioner doing its job?!_

At the thought, she stood up and trudged to the machine situated on top of the room. Lenora was sure she had turned on all available AC's in the house, seeing that the temperature was going to rise to a new high this week. And fair enough, there was no wind blowing from the ventilators. Frowning, she grabbed the remote and pressed the power button. The device buzzed awake, but quieted as soon as it was turned on.

"Why you little…" she hiss under her breath. Her fingers jammed the buttons again, but to no avail. The machine had gone back to its slumber, not caring about the frantic woman underneath. The landlord had told her that all the appliances were newly installed prior to her moving in, so it couldn't be related to its age. She checked the battery, and it was fine. Then she checked the cables connecting to the AC, but those were fine, too.

She was on the brink of a breakdown when it dawned on her that she needed to call the landlord and schedule an appointment with the furnace repairman. She couldn't afford to wait, seeing that it was going to get unbearable fast. In her jumbled state, she noticed a dark figure moving to her spot.

Johnny had finished the rest of the setup while she was hovering around her worshipped baby. He took the remote from her, not waiting to ask. Lenora jumped at the sudden contact and glowered at him. Why did he keep sneaking up to her like that? Does he think it looked cool or something?

"Piss off!" She tried to grab it from him, but he swiftly dodged her hands and stepped away. A smug grin played at his lips, and she felt her veins popping. "Johnny gimme the damn remote or so help me-"

"The circuit breaker is tripped." The explanation came out of nowhere and she was stunned into silence. She gaped at him as if he just said he wanted to watch My Little Pony. Sputtering, she pointed at the device.

" _Huh?_ "

Johnny closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh like he was about to scold a child. "When the unit doesn't turn on, it's usually because the circuit breaker has been tripped. When that happens, you can reset it after locating the circuit breaker panel and redo the thermostat."

Okay. She did not get any of that. Lenora huffed and crossed her arms. "English please."

He gave her a look that said she was stupid. "You need to reset the circuit."

Lenora snorted, eyeing him warily. " _See_! You don't have to be a smartass to be understood." Snatching the remote back, she glowered at him. He didn't retort...He didn't even say anything as he turned around towards the patio. Johnny was acting as if they _really_ were just two strangers with no previous history. The eerie quietness from him was beginning to alarm her as she watched from behind. What was he doing?

The voice inside screamed at her to follow, and she happily obeyed. She found him studying the circuit box. He had crouched down to the machine, hands feeling up the sides of it. Her loud footsteps caught his attention, and he turned to her.

"What're you doing here?" It didn't sound like a rhetorical question.

Lenora scoffed. "What do you think? Making sure the local terrorist doesn't plant a bomb in my house." With her hands on her hips, she looked at him expectantly. Though to be fair, a small voice in her mind did suggest he was going to do just _that._

She waited for the ice to break; there was no way the greaser was going to pretend everything was fine with that personality of his. He stared at her, his eyes twitching slightly, and she knew she got to him. A swell of pride grew as she sauntered closer. _This is payback for the last two times, asshole!_

The silence between the stretched on, and as it continued, her frustration rose. Before her, Johnny canted his head to the side, and his gaze never left hers. A slight smirk etched onto his lips, and he turned right back to work.

"I'm starting to think you're just very fucking lucky," he grated. "You happen to be on Dom's part of town, and I've agreed to not cause trouble here." Despite his calm exterior, Lenora knew the edge in his voice signified his waning patience. Finally, he wasn't going to play house anymore.

"I think I'd rather not have that kind of luck," she hissed. "Had I known earlier, I would've packed up and left."

Johnny laughed. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Lennie. I'm just trying to fix your AC."

She almost lost her temper at that. "What did you just call me?!"

He whistled a jovial tune, and pretended not to hear. Lenora grounded her teeth and stormed up to him. He still didn't acknowledge her, hands taking a hold of the circuit box and dissembling it in a few pulls. The snarky comment she had prepared was pushed down as she watched him disconnect the breakers and press a few keys. After another awkward silence, he reconnected the circuits and reassembled the box.

The machine whirred to life once again, but this time, it stayed on. Johnny sighed, almost contentedly. Lenora gawked as he stood up. Once they returned back to the house, he motioned to the remote.

"Try it again."

Hesitating, she pressed the power button. And voila...the AC's blue light blinked awake and began its filtration of cool air. She was dumbstruck and in awe; if it weren't for him, she would've had to wait another week for the mechanic to arrive. But by then, all that would be left of her is a puddle.

"Uh, thank you." Lenora tried her best not to look at him. She decided that the insult could be used at a later date, if she ever happened upon him again, that is. And she was going to be extra careful not to.

Johnny looked smug. "The pleasure's all mine, Lennie."

She gritted her teeth. "I'll let that slide this time."

It didn't appear to deter him, as he scoffed and made his way out of the room. The bed was finished, and the AC was fixed. To her, that was huge progress in a day, and she felt partially grateful for the extra hands that came. Had this been up to two people, it would've taken the whole day.

Speaking of which, Lenora checked the clock. It was hitting early noon and she found herself craving her next meal. More than four hours had passed, and she didn't even feel it. Kaya and Marie were conversing below by the time she had finished tidying up the last residues of cardboard boxes.

Marie was whispering something to Johnny on the side, and that irked her. But she paid it no mind as she threw out the last pieces of trash. And with that, she turned to Kaya with a full beam.

"It's finished. Did you need anything else?"

Her roommate shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm done. Thank you so much for the bed, though!"

A reminder popped into her head, and Lenora handed her a set of keys. "Here, these are the house keys. One for the front and one for the back. Don't lose it or the landlord will have you pay a hundred to replace it."

Kaya accepted them with a nod. "Got it!"

At the sight, Lenora looked at her, secretly hoping for her to send off her friends now that the move-in shenanigan was over. She still had to walk to downtown for groceries and figure out a lunch menu. Maybe she could find an excuse to leave.

"Well, I'm getting hungry," Lenora started, "and the fridge is empty. So I think I'll be heading downtown. If there's anything you need, just shoot me a text!" It sounded like a decent exit plan, but Kaya piped up just as she was about to turn around.

"Wanna grab lunch together then?" her roommate clasped her hands together like a prayer. Kaya smiled shyly, almost like she was nervous of being rejected. Lenora had to stop herself from screaming no. She flashed a look to the man standing besides them, but his face was back to being duller than a rock. Johnny might as well become a statue with that expression.

"I have to get groceries after," she added quickly.

Kaya smiled even brighter. "Awesome! Johnny is driving us to the mall anyways. So we can stop by the market, if that's what you want. I just wanna get to know you better! You were a great help."

Lenora insides were shouting a thousand curses at the man. Here she thought the ordeal was ending, and now the universe wanted her to suffer some more. She wasn't sure who to get mad at at that point. But she didn't want to make Kaya feel like she did anything wrong either. The woman was decent in her time here so far and appeared to be an upstanding citizen. This made Lenora feel like she was rejecting a lost puppy.

"Ok, that sounds good." She accepted the invitation before her brain could register what had happened. It was going to be one lunch together with her roommate, and it wasn't going to get more complicated than that.

Johnny's eyes widened a fraction at her response, but he remained silent. Besides him, Marie gave her a small smile. Lenora nodded awkwardly in response, and bit her lip.

"Do you like Pho?" Kaya asked.

She wasn't sure if she ever heard of the name before, so she shook her head. Johnny, on the other hand, frowned.

"Kaya, are you sure you wanna go there? There's other places, y'know." It might've been a harmless suggestion to the other two. But Lenora could see his shoulders tensing.

"But they have the best noodles!" Kaya protested. "Lenora's gonna love it there! You said this is your first time in LA, right?"  
"Yeah." Lenora was confused as to where the conversation was headed.

Her answer spurred her roommate on. "Then you should try Happy Huong Noodles! It's really good!"

She glanced at Johnny, and then back at Kaya in a daze. "So...Where is it?

Kaya pulled out a pamphlet and pointed at a general area. "It's by the Little Saigon area. There's plenty of grocery markets around it. We can stop there if you want!"

_Oh fuck no…_ Lenora gawked at the map. And that was when it hit her; it was the exact place the greaser had threatened her in last week. It was the very place Johnny himself had told her to stay away from. The cues were all coming together, no wonder why he wanted to go somewhere else. The man couldn't just have his territory stepped on after explicitly telling her to fuck off. It would be too much for his ego to bear.

The petty comeback was too good to pass on, and she was sure he knew it by the glare he was sending her. Lenora eyed Kaya with renewed interest.

"You're recommending this place?" She batted her eyelids innocently for good measure.

Kaya grinned. "The name's funky, but I promise the food's good."

Lenora wanted so badly to cackle with glee at Johnny's perturbed expression. Why use the mouth to insult when you could get a meal _and_ crash the place with his best buddies? She was delirious with triumph at the thought.

"I love all kinds of food," she said, with a bit too much enthusiasm, "I'd love to go there! Count me in!" Her wide grin pinched the corners of her eyes, but she ignored it.

_This is what you fucking get for calling me Lennie, bitch._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: At least no one lost a limb during these trying times...yet. Next up, a very awkward lunch ensues. Drop it in the comments in how you think that's gonna play out ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, are you guys all classmates?" Lenora was sure that he was young, but he didn't come across as a college boy. With that temper of his, he wouldn't last a week in any setting with an authority.
> 
> Kaya shook her head. "Oops! I didn't really introduce you to them, sorry!" She nodded towards Marie, smiling. "Marie's my childhood friend, we've known each other since middle school. Johnny's her brother."

Kaya was like the group mom. If there was an exact way to describe her, it was gonna be that. It turned out she had a planning streak, as she had scheduled her day down to the last minute.

"It keeps me grounded." She nudged Lenora towards a Honda coupe. "My ADHD brain needs a little rigidity sometimes." Kaya gestured to the car excitedly.

Sometimes, Lenora wanted to ask herself just how the fuck she could get herself into the most cringeworthy shit. Here she was, standing by a vehicle, driven by the very man that broke her peace of life, going to lunch with his buddy.

She hoped to have a knuckle punch her awake, so that all this would just be a really, _really_ bad dream. To make matters worse, the car was a coupe...Like was she supposed to fold herself in half like a piece of paper and shove herself in? For a moment, she wondered how bad it would be if she pretended to have a stomach bug and bail.

Not looking at Johnny, she slid into the backseat, and was followed by Kaya. Marie had taken shotgun, and the driver was obviously the VIP himself. Kaya began to chatter about all the places she'd been to, and about how she was really excited to be by herself for the first time. Lenora stared at her right in the eye, nodding and trying to come up with equally interesting questions to make it look like she wasn't about to poop herself.

Who was she kidding? Being inside that car scared her shitless, and if it weren't for the constant distraction from Kaya, she would've become a screeching harpy. Throughout the talk, she learned that Kaya was a born and raised Californian, specifically in Orange County. The city sounded familiar, but in her frantic state, the only connection she could make was…

"Disneyland," Lenora stated. "You live by Disneyland."

Marie snorted with laughter while Kaya slapped a hand to her face. "Everyone says that! But yeah, I practically lived there as a kid."

As much as she wanted to get to know her on a more personal level, Lenora was not about to get into a deep conversation under that atmosphere. Johnny had done her a favor by putting on sunglasses; she wasn't in the mood to see his dark eyes boring holes into her face. She glanced at Marie on the side, who was casually conversing with him in their own language.

"So, are you guys all classmates?" Lenora was sure that he was young, but he didn't come across as a college boy. With that temper of his, he wouldn't last a week in any setting with an authority.

Kaya shook her head. "Oops! I didn't really introduce you to them, sorry!" She nodded towards Marie, smiling. "Marie's my childhood friend, we've known each other since middle school. Johnny's her brother, he used to watch over us when our parents weren't home."

Whatever that came after the second information went through Lenora's right ear and out the other. She fought to keep her composure at what Kaya had revealed. All this time, she'd been interacting with the very person that caused the rift between Toretto and Johnny's gang. The details were enunciated by the features the duo shared.

On second glance, she began to see the resemblance. Both had curly hair, both had fine cheekbones, and the way the cupid's bow arched on both of them was a clear sign. _Oh god, she could be another sister! Yeah, that's right! People can have more than one sister...Holy fuckity fuck!_

She looked to him for a split second, trying to gauge his reaction. But Johnny's gaze was still hidden by the shades, and his mouth in a hard line. Lenora could only guess how he was feeling.

But then she was reminded that he couldn't do anything to hurt her because of the audience, and with that, renewed confidence inched back into her body. She breathed and unclenched her fists; Kaya was _her_ roommate, and she was going to have a blast with her for the rest of her school days even if it meant shoving his pompous ego up his ass.

The car came to an abrupt stop, causing the women to lurch forward. Lenora shrieked and braced herself against the driver's seat.

"The hell, Johnny!" Marie snapped. She wacked him across the arms with a newspaper. He only laughed.

"My bad, didn't see the bumpers." Johnny didn't sound the least contrite. "I just replaced the front." Seething, Lenora glared daggers at him from the back. The fucker was doing this purpose.

Marie rolled her eyes. "I swear one day you'll kill us all."

_No shit! The guy probably wants to destroy the whole city…_ Lenora had to bite the insides of her cheek from spitting out another insult. Eyeing him, she breathed in to control her budding annoyance. At least she could flaunt a free meal in his face; she still couldn't believe that the great Johnny Tran had personally escorted her back into his territory. Just thinking about it brought a smug look to her face.

Happy Huong was filled to the brim, which wasn't a surprise as it was the weekends. People chattered in all languages, but she could make out a few conversations in Mandarin. The smell of stir fry and steamed dishes wafted into her nose as they made their way to a corner table. The waitress took one glance at them and led them to the best place inside the building.

It was remarkably quieter in the back, and Lenora was grateful for the space to hear her own thoughts. There was no chance of her sitting near him, so she volunteered to settle herself in the corner of the booth next to Marie. They shared an awkward shuffle as she tried to press herself to the walls away from Johnny, who had decided to situate himself by the aisle across from her.

"You have to try the Pho Bo and the Nem Ran! They even have a special sauce for it." Kaya was explaining the menu, albeit so fast Lenora could barely hear anything over the clatterings of plates.

She thought about the spice tolerance of hers, and made a note to ask the waitress about it. Alcohol was one thing, but peppers took her to a whole new level of crying, and not the emotional one. Agreeing to the selection of food, she wrote in her choice and set the pamphlet down. Marie was showing Lenora pictures of her homemade spring rolls, opening up immensely on the topic of culinary arts.

"Wanted to quit GrubHub for a bit and make my own, but that didn't go well with Johnny." Marie giggled and her eyes glazed over at the memory. Lenora stared at her with a raised brow, taking a sudden interest.

"What happened?" This story was going to get juicy…

Marie snorted. "Oh y'know, ended up not leaving the toilet for the rest of the day."

She knew it was rude to laugh at something like this, but it was the town greaser for christ's sake! Lenora forgot all pretences and fell into a fit of sniggers. It was a genuine rumble from the insides of her being, and she felt tears pricking on the corners. Looking up at him, she could see that he was practically trying to control himself from flipping the table.

Kaya almost choked on her water. "God you tell that to everyone!" She made an attempt to be serious, but her bubbling laughter overtook that idea.

Marie sighed and feigned an innocent look at Johnny, who was currently trying to fry her with his gaze. "It's not my fault Karma decided to bite his ass that day."

"I said I was sorry!" he snapped from across. "It wasn't my fault your boyfriend fainted in front of me."

"You threatened his life over me crying, asshat!" Marie reminded. She crossed her arms and gave him a smug look. "And that's what happens when you piss off Buddha."

Lenora smirked at him behind her. So he was still the same asshole to everyone else even in his private life. _Surprise, surprise._

Johnny sighed in exasperation as he checked his watch. Kaya noticed and quirked her lips.

"You have somewhere to be?"

"I have a gig to run after this. Just makin' sure." He shoved his phone back into his pockets and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Marie glowered at him, nose wrinkling in disgust. "You better stay long enough to drop us off."

"You really think I'd just dump you in the middle of nowhere?" Johnny rolled his eyes and sighed.

_Yeah, I think you would._ Lenora peered at him through the tip of her cup, not breaking away once he met her gaze. He smirked, making her sneer slightly.

Kaya groaned. "Guys, chill out! Everyone's staring!" She turned her head side to side, blushing as a few customers shifted their attention to them. "Marie, I wanna pick the cot for the dish. Let's cool down a bit."

Marie pouted as she nodded, throwing Johnny a dirty look as she stuck out her tongue. Kaya grabbed her by the arms and whispered something to her, while dragging her away from the table. At the sight, Lenora's stomach churned. Now she was all alone with him, with no one else to distract her from ripping the smile off his face.

_Am I his personal entertainer now?!_ She seethed as she leaned away, not bothering to hide the frown growing on her lips. "So how's Karma for a change?"

Johnny's gaze flickered to hers from the side. His face hardened, and she knew she was playing with fire. But her pride was equally high.

"Y'know, for the last few times I've seen you, you're either wasted, hungry, or _hungry_. I'm surprised you aren't the reincarnation of a pig." He grinned at her, flashing a row of pearly whites, giving him the appearance of a predatory shark. The tone was flippantly casual, but the insult itself was laced with venom.

Lenora huffed. "It's better than having to chauffeur your arch nemesis to your home." She watched with glee as he snapped his head to the side with a violent jerk. "I didn't appreciate you almost killing me back in the car."

His brows furrowed, adding more fine lines to his already contorted face. If she was honest, he looked much better being focused on putting together furniture. Now he was just a brewing e-boy with a tantrum threatening to spill. She felt stupid for egging him on like this, but the payback for everything he'd done so far sounded prettier in her head.

"Do not push your limits," he warned, eyes twitching again. She began to pick up the go to sign when he was royally pissed. "Or else-"

"You're still the same punk in your personal life," Lenora interrupted. "I must agree with Marie when she said you were an asshat."

The fragile truce, busting against the seams between them, stood on the basis of her and Kaya's relationship. She knew that much. Johnny was holding back ninety-nine percent of his impulses now that her roommate was in the picture, not to mention his sister. And Lenora knew that this could all go to shit once a little tear appeared in the delicately crafted situation.

"Don't put yourself up so high, _Lennie._ " He leered with a saccharine smile. "You might fall flat on your face if you ain't careful."

She flinched at the nickname and sneered. "I told you to not call me that, _Appleseed_."

Johnny almost gagged on the soda he was sipping. His eyes bulged at the name and he whipped to face her with a bewildered expression. Lenora momentarily forgot about why she was angry and choked with laughter, causing more heads to turn in their direction. Her tormentor, however, did not find the incident the least bit amusing.

"How the fuck?!" Johnny hissed so vehemently that she thought she saw lava boiling underneath his nostrils. Putting both hands onto the table, he leaned into her direction, form shaking as he stared her down. "Don't _ever_ , call me that again."

His rigid posture did more than enough to scare her right back into her shell. It didn't help that the guy was breathing like a chained dragon fighting to release its frustration on its nearest inhabitants. Lenora matched his glare with her own despite the simmering fear reigning her body.

"You called me 'Lennie' first, so now we're even." She made no attempt to apologize. Her gut screamed at her to do otherwise, but she shoved it down. A noob punk like him wasn't going to get to her, no matter how many, most probably, empty threats he tossed. "I ain't gonna sit here and be your outlet for whatever reason."

"I think I might've let you off a bit too easy the first time." Johnny sat back, fingers drumming with a heavy rhythm. "Lance made a great suggestion when he said I should blow something up."

Lenora scoffed. "Threatening people's life again, I see. What would Marie say?"

"I could make it look like an accident," Johnny offered, sounding almost nonchalant. "The cops here have the IQ of a dropout. So I doubt you could sue me."

"Even if I could, what would I get from suing a streetrat?" she countered. "I bet you live in the trailers after your little scour of the city. I'm fucking surprised that you could even do business with that head of yours!"

_Oh fuck._ Her mouth had bulldozed the land before she could even register where she was headed. Lenora might as well slam herself on the nearest train tracks and wait for the next ride to come. Mia's previous warning about him seared through her mind as she watched him unclench and clench his fists like he needed a stress ball. _He can't hurt me...I have Kaya. He's not gonna actually kill me, right?!_

Johnny laughed. It sounded horrifically genuine, and from the belly at that. If it weren't for the context of their relationship, she might've mistaken it for a hearty chuckle at a friend's terrible joke. It was a breathy sound, and she noticed that it was a lot deeper than his talking voice. She didn't feel comforted by that in the slightest.

"Damn," Johnny sneered. "Trailers, huh? Never heard of anything more out of line than this in my life."

She gripped the cup in her hands, trembling with fearful anticipation. "What? Are you saying you live under a bridge like a troll?" Her life was over anyways, so she might as well just end it with dignity.

He pressed an index finger to the corners of his lips, as if trying to hold in his rage. "Well, I have to say that you got the part about me being territorial. And you're also correct that I'm not a nice person." Giving her a sly grin, he took another aggressive gulp of his drink.

"I simply stated the obvious." Lenora shifted in her seat, taking a sip of her own.

"Though I don't appreciate you calling me ugly," Johnny said. "'Cuz I don't think I'm like a troll at all." He gestured to his bust, face smug with pride.

Lenora felt her face flush bright red at the action, and she turned her face to the side. They were arguing about blowing up shit to this? Why did he have to show off like that?! Granted, he did have nice biceps back there fixing the bed and all, but how the fuck…She snapped her head back him, burying the thought into the trash folder of her deepest depths.

"I meant your personality," she stated flatly. He smirked at her fidgeting form in the corner. She felt like a prey holding onto its last vestiges of sanity as the predator toyed with its emotions. The battle of tongues between them was only the surface of a much more volatile construct waiting to burst.

"Now I don't know the context of _that_ , but I second the statement."

Johnny's lips didn't move. What came next was not from him. Lenora's brows knitted together as she elevated her head up to the voice, meeting the gaze of another man peering at her behind Johnny.

Bleached platinum blonde hair in an undercut with side swept bangs caught her attention. The newcomer looked at her with a bemused smile, hands hanging languidly at his sides. He wore a white t-shirt, which outlined all the right places on his physique despite being baggy. His dark eyes shone with good humor, and a few people behind him laughed. The men following him were all dressed in simple black tees and ripped jeans, and she thought he was practically glowing amongst them with the contrast.

"Hi?" Her voice box failed her as she tried to muster the simple greeting. He grinned in response.

Johnny followed her attention to the man behind him, and his lips settled into a grim line. Narrowing his eyes, he stood up and met the man face to face. She watched on, confused at the sudden change in dynamics as Johnny's focus was now zeroed onto the blonde before them.

"Samson," he greeted. "What brings you here?" The way his fists stayed clenched served as a hint for her. Whoever this Samson was, he wasn't on Johnny's good side either.

"Chillax, man." Samson wasted no time in putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're scaring your date. I just thought I heard someone familiar here and decided to check it out. Turns out you need a lot of help getting this one to like you." He looked at Lenora again, winking at her.

She gaped at the way she was referred to and sputtered like a whale. "I'm not his date! I'm here with a friend." Holding up her hands, she waved frantically. What she was embarrassed about, she wasn't sure. But the problem before her never involved her, and she could sense another fight breaking out if Johnny decided to release his frustrations.

"My apologies, miss," Samson replied. He side-stepped Johnny and was over to her in a flash. Reaching out a hand to her, he continued to smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Samson Wang, and I work with Johnny. So I hope I didn't frighten you."

Lenora stared at him in awe as she shook his hand, and felt the way he squeezed hers firmly before letting go. It was almost hypnotizing, and she could feel herself being pulled into his gaze. Spindles of arms pushed her to accept his greeting, and she didn't know if it was because of his voice or the way he looked at her, Her stomach jumbled as she tried to process the whole interaction.

She couldn't wait to see how she was going to fuck up this one, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. I added another character to spice the story up. Let's see how Johnny handles himself.


	9. No, I am Not Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was at this distance she noticed just how imposing he was up close. Even at her full height with him hunched forward, she barely hit above his shoulders. A pleasant scent caught her attention and she blinked.
> 
> His cologne gave off the aroma of rich cinnamon with a hint of allspice, and if she was closer, she would think she could taste the fragrances themselves. It was hard to turn away once she'd gotten a good whiff. She could describe it as almost intoxicating; the more she had it, the more she wanted to envelope it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Helloooooo! Sorry for the long wait! College has not been kind to me :(

The air was stiff with the smell of sweat mixed with raging hormones. Just five seconds before, the restaurant's loud clatters could still be heard above all else. Lenora winced at the cut of tension; all she could focus on was the back of Johnny's head.

A blur of black flashed before her vision. Tran grabbed Samson from behind, placing himself right in front of the blonde between him and Lenora. She flinched away at the way he glared at Samson from

Johnny growled. His fists clenched, popping the knuckles with fierce snaps. "You haven't answered me. Why are you here?"

Samson sighed and gave a slight roll of his eyes, his demeanor hinting he was used to getting that kind of reaction from him. "Just chillin' with the gang, Johnny. No need to get all anal over it."

"I meant it when I told you to keep your distance," Johnny said. "Roll back to Chinatown."

On the side, Lenora resisted the urge to facepalm herself. Mia wasn't shitting when she said Johnny was possessive as fuck. At this rate, he might as well just separate this part of LA from the country and become president himself.

"Hey, man, I ain't the one who pissed you off," Samson drawled. A raised brow from him conveyed another message as his lips tugged into a lopsided grin. "You should be barking at Toretto."

Johnny snapped his head to the side and sneered. "What do you want?"

"Easy there." A cold glint flashed across Samson's gaze as he pushed Johnny's hand off him. "Don't wanna piss off the hand that feeds you, Johnny. I'm just trying to help you grow your business." The sugar-coated threat was not missed by Lenora, who swallowed as she eyed the interaction with a racing heart.

_Oh god, please don't fight…_

The warning seemed to still her territorial companion, because Johnny was oddly quiet after that. He tensed his shoulders while he kept his gaze to Samson's, and the two of them engaged in a size-up. A few of the men scowled whilst they talked amongst themselves behind Samson.

"操他妈的! 以为自个儿是哈啊? 死杂种!"

Lenora stiffened as she heard the insults hurled behind Johnny's back. They were far from pretty, and had he understood the meaning, there'd be no doubt the young man would've punched a hole into their skulls. The cowardice somehow sickened her, despite her recognizing that she was defending someone whom she hated with passion.

"狗仔子咋还不实相?!"

If Johnny was affected by the foreign language in the side conversations before him, he failed to show it. His sole attention was on the equally rigid Samson. Another snide comment came from the nearest member from Samson's left, this time calling Johnny an inbred. The other customers have long since cleared out of their way, leaving a circle of empty seats around them.

Time felt like an irrelevant concept as Lenora tried to assess the situation. The two men were in their own bubble, not giving a fuck given to the rest of the population. She didn't know how long it was going to last, and anxiety began its way up to her chest, curling its fingers around her lungs in a tight squeeze. If they weren't going to stop, then the owner was going to throw them out.

"Johnny," she whispered. But the subject of her ire didn't even bother to answer. Gingerly, as if afraid he would turn his head to bite her fingers off, she inched up to his form and gently placed a hand on his biceps. She was trying her hardest not to give in to her urges and yank him away. When Johnny failed to respond to that as well, her forehead wrinkled in panic.

"Johnny, _relax_. Everything's fine." Lenora repeated, her voice louder. She gave another small tug at his jacket, winning her a turn of his head. He eyed her from the side, mouth parted just a visible amount. She knew from experience to never incur his wrath, and she wasn't sure if her interception would be taken lightly. But with the way the current issue was going, she didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.

Relieved at the slightest success of her efforts, she placed another soothing hand on his back. The method had helped _her_ when she was agitated, and she could only pray that this was going to work on him, too. It felt strange doing it to him, since they were spitting fire at one another just minutes before. But then again, nothing here made sense anymore.

At the second attempt, Johnny's eyes widened a fraction. He turned his face fully to look at her, and Lenora put on a desperate attempt to appear pleading. She was at a loss for what to do next, and cooling him down seemed to be the best bet for everyone else's survival. Life took her on another surprise when he actually loosened his shoulders, and the scowl dissipated from his face. The drop in animosity relieved her, but her hands continued their stiff circling of his back.

Before them, Samson cocked his head, his brow tugging on the ends. Lenora didn't have the time to pay him any heed. Her hand was still on Johnny, trying to reel him back from his overly-charged emotion. It was working, to her surprise, because his breathing turned shallow in no time and the fists followed suit.

It was at this distance she noticed just how imposing he was up close. Even at her full height with him hunched forward, she barely hit above his shoulders. A pleasant scent caught her attention and she blinked.

His cologne gave off the aroma of rich cinnamon with a hint of allspice, and if she was closer, she would think she could taste the fragrances themselves. It was hard to turn away once she'd gotten a good whiff. She could describe it as almost intoxicating; the more she had it, the more she wanted to envelope it.

She frowned in confusion when his face turned to look above her. Following his gaze, she was met by the approaching figures of Kaya and Marie. All color drained from her roommate's cheeks, while Marie stiffened on the side.

"What's goin on?!" Kaya was on them in an instant. And it was then Lenora realized she was still gripping onto Johnny like her life depended on it. His sister stared at her hands, prompting her to yelp and jumped back like someone had told her he was infected with some deadly virus. Her face burned with humiliation as Marie glanced at her and then her brother. Lenora peered up towards him, but Johnny's attention on her was long gone, he was facing the other two women, with her completely forgotten.

"I was trying to help," she mumbled. She mentally kicked herself for explaining; not that it would make a difference. To everyone else, she looked like a scared weirdo nonetheless.

Marie met the eyes of Samson and her hands trembled. She quickly avoided eye contact as she stood to the side behind the taller sibling. Kaya's face fell, and she joined in with the rest of the women. Lenora had the sudden notion that Johnny was now the shield of the group. She was guilty in feeling secure behind his towering body.

_What in heaven's sake am I doing?! How can I feel safe with him?!_ Her mind whirled from the dubiety of the situation. But she knew now wasn't the time to set her head straight, because it appeared that Samson had changed targets.

"Marie." His greeting was pleasant. "Haven't heard from you in a hot minute."

Marie sucked in a breath. "I've been really busy, Sam. School and all." She shifted from side to side, biting her lips.

Samson chuckled. "Y'know my offer still stands. I'm sure I can find someone who can help you." His lips pursed slightly as he looked down at her in bemusement.

_Oh shit, is he flirting with her?_ Lenora gaped at the man smirking at Marie's squirming form.

"I told you I have a boyfriend." The younger Tran looked away. Lenora put two and two together, and came to the conclusion that they had a run in before. From the way Johnny was glaring holes into Samson's skull, it seemed like he knew of it, too.

"Oh well, didn't hurt to try." Samson held up his hands in defeat. He turned his head to Lenora, eyes sparkling like he just rediscovered her. "I must say _you_ are a fresh face."

It took her a moment to register the fact he was speaking to her. Lenora held her head high, and she jutted her chin, hoping he wouldn't sense the panic overtaking her.

"I am," she replied. "Moved here a month ago."

He nodded, appearing to be deep in contemplation. "Thought so, too. Never been to LA?"

The bombardment of questions disoriented her. She was starting to feel on edge as he stared at her; his dark eyes were like a quizzical duo of probes prodding her for information. Lying to him appeared to be a good idea, but she wasn't sure if he'd take it too kindly if she was caught.

_What the fuck, sis?! You were so tough with Tran just now! Are you just gonna shrink from this?!_

"No?" She had meant to say it with more force, but her voice box bailed last minute and she quacked like a duck. It didn't help that Samson was one of the hottest guys she'd ever laid eyes on. She wanted to tear her hair out at the reasoning; she had no problem with Johnny, thus there were no excuses with Samson. But as always, her brain wasn't linear with anything, and now she was back to being a blubbering mess.

Samson snorted with good humor. His pals sniggered along with him, which only exacerbated her mortified state.

"If you ever have time, I could show you around," he proposed. Throwing her another wink, he jerked a thumb to the door. "I know some places that's got it going. You'd like it."

Lenora's fingers twitched at the invitation. _Did he just skip to me after being rejected?_ The sudden feeling of being second place irked her and she huffed. "It's fine. I've got friends to meet up with."

Her courage came back at full speed and it wasn't hard rejecting him. The remark after Marie left a bitter taste in her mouth; Lenora was no desert flower, but she wasn't about to be a man's second choice either. Had she not felt any fear towards the man earlier, she would've rolled her eyes for added effect.

The curt response seemed to stop Samson in his tracks, his mouth opened a mere bit and his brows rose up. But it didn't faze him enough as he let out a low chuckle.

"Guess today isn't my lucky day," he mused. Lenora eyed Marie on the side, who was inching closer to her by the second. Her body moved on its own accord, sandwiching herself between her and Samson. It was a futile attempt to appear tough, but it had worked with Mia, so it wouldn't hurt to try it again.

Johnny narrowed his eyes. "If there isn't anything else, we've got places to be." He was in Samson's face again, this time completely blocking his view of his sister. The blonde sighed and waved his hand like it was no matter.

"Yeah, yeah. You're always bouncin' around and I ain't wanna be in your way." Samson landed a hard pat of Johnny's shoulder, eyes hardening into dark holes. A slight scowl settled onto his face as he turned away. "I'll see ya next week."

The crowd he brought with him migrated with his retreating form. A few of them spared glares at the older Tran as they left. Tension in the room dissolved as the last one of them exited the building, bringing stares from other customers. Lenora let loose of the breath she had been holding, and the trembling in her hands came to a stop.

Glancing at Johnny from the corner of her eyes, she saw his shoulders rising, and then fall down heavily. The incident left him just as exhausted as she had. She wondered if he was okay after the face off, if he was in a better mood now that Samson was gone. But her mind put a crowbar on that train of thought.

_Don't pity him. This ain't none of your business._

It was bizarre to even consider asking if he was alright. After all, none of this would've happened had he kept his business clean. Lenora refused to be dragged into the mess with him, and that was least, that was how she justified it. However, a part of her was still compelled to at least make sure he was stable. If not for him, then for the others.

But fortunately for her, Kaya beat her to the punch. Running up to him, her roommate huffed. "Did you get into a fight _again_?"

Johnny grimaced. "No, Kaya. We go way back, but it's fine now." He breathed out and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not the best relationship, but I'm ok."

Kaya wasn't pacified with that answer, and she continued her barrage of questions like a mother hen. Lenora, on the other hand, had tuned out everything around her. It wasn't clear whether or not Marie and Kaya were aware of Johnny's endeavors. Kaya, albeit frightened, was oblivious to the threat Samson had made earlier. With Marie, she knew that Dom was her ex, thus she found it impossible for her _not_ to know anything about Johnny's black business.

The main concern that bugged her to no end was if these people were even trustworthy. It was clear that Johnny was embroiled in sketchy activity, he reeked of it. But second thoughts clouded Lenora's mind as she stared at Kaya.

_Maybe I should get another place._

It wasn't an overreaction entirely. At this point, she was focused on surviving her two years in LA. And the situation wouldn't serve her if her roommate had ties with one of the gangsters there. She'd much rather choose life. Lenora blinked as she came to the realization that she needed an excuse to just up and leave. The landlord would be pissed as fuck, but it beats having greasers storming her place.

_Stupid! Just say you switched from online to in person! That'll do the trick, genius!_

Lenora wanted to clap her own back for the brilliant idea.

* * *

The rest of lunch happened in a blur, with Kaya disgruntled, Marie dazed, and Johnny annoyed. It was a comical sight had it been different circumstances. Lenora held her composure as the group finished up their meal. It wouldn't do her any good to just go off at him in the middle of a cafe.

She had been so embroiled in the drama that she'd completely forgotten the barbeque. Glancing at her phone, her brows rose in surprise. Time had moved faster than she expected, which was the total opposite. At this rate, Lenora would think that she might as well be stuck to the trio for the rest of her life.

Johnny didn't say much for the rest of the duration, and she was happy with that. His eyes seemed to glaze over, deep in thought. The scowl never left his face after the confrontation, and she had every right to believe that this was going to be his norm for the rest of the afternoon.

The food was decent at best, but then again, Lenora wasn't paying much attention to her meal. That could've been the culprit. Instead, she found herself spiraling down a dark hole of conspiracies regarding gangs and secret societies.

_What if the Illuminati had a branch here? Is there a syndicate of sorts?! And how does Dom come to play in all this? I bet he kicks ass, too._

The useless imaginations would've done her good if she was an author, but in reality, she may as well be in lalaland. Johnny caught her off guard when he offered to pay the full tab; Kaya had argued about covering it, as she was the one who suggested the outing. Lenora stared in awe as the man's stony expression betrayed nothing. He simply took out his card and slipped it to the waitress, bantering back and forth with his friend.

Lenora felt an uncomfortable pit settle within her. She couldn't put a finger on it, but she wasn't entirely ok with having her friend's arch nemesis paying for everything. There was no way she wanted to come across as taking advantage of them, especially since she had spewed her fair share of insults to him earlier.

"It's ok, Kaya," she spoke, "I'll cover half." It felt like an attempt to mend the cracks between them, but she told herself otherwise.

Kaya gaped as she felt her card being pressed back into her hands. "No, no! You can't do that!"

Lenora sighed and gave an exasperated smile. "It's for the great time. I really liked the food here and I loved meeting all of you." She couldn't wait to get back home and cringe at her words. To the side, Johnny stiffened but remained silent. That was the best course of action, as Lenora didn't need another smarmy comment for the day.

She wanted to facepalm when they ended up arguing like any other Asian family over the bill, with poor Marie stuck in the middle like a helpless child. It took another bout of convincing to get Kaya off her back.

"You can cover my grocery rides for a month," Lenora teased.

Kaya snorted, nodding dramatically. " _Fine_ , you win!"

The group relocated back to the car, with Lenora and Kaya bumbling about the latest Star Wars movie, and a comment from Marie about Ewan Mcgregor every once in a while. The girls swooned over the mere mention of him, earning a grumble from their irritated driver.

At first Lenora was grateful for the silence from him, it gave her room to breath around the pissy dragon. But as time dragged on, she began to fear that maybe he was just waiting to let it all out on her once they've gotten some private time. Her stomach churned at the thought, so she made the decision to stick by Kaya like superglue.

Johnny appeared to not care after the confrontation with Samson, completely acting as if she didn't exist. And if Kaya was the shield between them, then no matter how guilty Lenora felt by that, she was okay with it.

Grocery shopping went on smoothly, and she made an effort to bag twice the sweets she was craving. If she was going to ask for rides, she might as well take advantage of it. With her goodies in hand, she joined the rest of the women by the car.

"Holy _shit_! They're showing the Phantom Menace today!" Kaya squealed. She waved a magazine in Marie's face. "Quick! We need to get the tickets!"

Lenora was reminded that she herself had an event to get to. She crossed her fingers that Kaya wasn't going to ask her again, because she just wasn't in the mood to explain Dom's barbeque in front of Johnny's presence.

It took a moment for Kaya to realize the woman standing next to them, and she chuckled nervously. "Ah! Sorry! I just got ahead of myself. Didn't you say you have a gathering later, Lenora?"

The addressee cleared her throat. "Yeah, it's a bbq, so I'll pass on the movies. But raincheck it for me." Lenora refused to look Johnny's way, but she could feel his gaze boring into her. The sooner she got back home, the better for all of them.

Marie seemed to come to a conclusion. "Ok, so we'll stay and walk to the theaters for tickets. Johnny will drop you off." She patted her brother's back loudly, but was oblivious to the gawking Lenora.

She had to repeat what Marie said in her head three times to understand the grave danger she put herself in. If Kaya was going to stay behind, then that meant she had to deal with him for another fifteen minutes... _alone_. Lenora began to panic; a flash of thoughts dashed past her head. She could call Mia and have her pick her up, or maybe she could ring Letty. But then she remembered they were banned from Johnny's turf.

The urge to slump onto the ground was strong. Lenora had to bite her tongue to keep from begging Kaya to stay. But to no avail, as the other two had already made their way to the other side of the road, waving back at her and her driver.

Lenora snapped her vision back to Johnny, who she caught heading back to the car without sparing a glance at her. Her legs shook as she took a step, and then another. The robotic movements carried her to the passenger seat; she dreaded going shotgun, but she didn't want to be anal and further bother him to move the seats again.

Cursing the gods, Lenora grabbed the handles and pulled herself in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "操他妈的! 以为自个儿是哈啊? 死杂种!"= Fuck him! Who the hell does this halfbreed fucker think he is?
> 
> "狗仔子咋还不实相?!" = Bitch not gonna stand down huh?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: As usual, feedback is welcomed (even criticism)! I figured the main character would be scared to hitchhike with Dom and co (I mean the guy's menacing if you look at him at first) but his Grootness will come out either way and turn him into a buffed up teddy. 


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